While some naysayers predict audiences will eventually grow tired of the comic book movie “fad”, there’s certainly no sign of that happening anytime soon. The release slate for 2017 alone sees a solid line-up of comic movies on the horizon, from long-awaited sequels to hopeful franchise starters.
At this stage in the game, Marvel and DC have become experts in whipping up pre-release hype for their forthcoming blockbusters, releasing trailers and posters to whet the appetite of the fanbase. To that end, the previews for 2017’s slate have done their jobs spectacularly, promising a number of awesome sequences and memorable setpieces.
That’s not to say the movies themselves will turn out great – and early word indicates that a couple of them might not be – but part of being a fan is getting excited about the possibilities. We’re currently in that blissful pre-release phase where it’s okay to daydream about how perfect a much-anticipated movie will be, or how amazing a certain sequence will turn out.
There’s an embarrassment of riches to look forward to in that department, and here are 15 Comic Book Movies Scenes We Can’t Wait To See In 2017. Note: the scenes listed here are ones that we know are happening, whether they’ve been confirmed to appear by those working on the films or glimpsed in trailers.
15. The “Avengers” Heist - Spider-Man: Homecoming
Captain America: Civil War was the perfect introduction to Tom Holland’s Spider-Man, with the young actor flawlessly capturing the wit and energy of the web-slinger. It also bypassed the need for yet another origin, because Uncle Ben can only tragically die in Peter’s arms so many times.
In addition to finally introducing the character to the MCU, it set the stage for Spider-Man: Homecoming, Holland’s first solo outing in the red and blue tights. He’ll face off against Michael Keaton’s The Vulture, with Tony Stark set to occasionally show up to mentor him and generally steal scenes.
It appears Homecoming will heavily play up the comedy side, including the scene where Spidey foils a robbery by thieves wearing Avengers masks. Aside from the lovely meta touch – even within the universe, they’re selling us superhero merch – it also establishes the playful tone. It’s odd to think that it’s only been a few years since The Amazing Spider-Man 2 set up a bunch of sequels and spin-offs that never happened, but thanks to Marvel’s intervention, it looks like Spidey is finally back on track.
14. Meet Doctor Strange - Thor: Ragnarok
While Doctor Strange’s origin tale was essentially the same as Tony Stark’s, it can’t be denied that sorcery added a whole new dimension to the MCU. Plus, more Benedict Cumberbatch is always welcome, so his character’s involvement in Marvel’s upcoming slate is good news indeed.
His inclusion in Thor: Ragnarok won’t come as a massive shock to anyone who saw Doctor Strange’s post-credit sting, where he agreed to help Thor find his missing father. It will likely be a supporting role for the good doctor, and Tom Hiddleston has confirmed that Loki isn’t impressed with Strange’s sorcery one bit when they work together.
His appearance in Ragnarok feels like the perfect way to introduce Strange to the wider universe, and seeing how he interacts with established characters like Thor and The Hulk is definitely something we’re looking forward to. From there, he’ll also be appearing in the jam-packed Infinity War, which at this stage feels likely to include anyone who’s ever appeared in a Marvel movie.
13. Star-Lord Meets His Father - Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2
The original Guardians Of The Galaxy heavily teased the identity of Star-Lord’s father, but never actually revealed who he was. James Gunn decided against teasing his reveal any further for Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2, since the moment Kurt Russell was cast, it was kind of obvious that he’d be revealed as the father. Besides, it only made sense that Ego The Living Planet would sire someone like Star-Lord.
It’s exciting to have a living legend like Kurt Russell step into the comic book realm for the role, especially when he’s at the stage in his career where he only works on projects that truly interest him. Teaming him with Pratt feels inspired, and it should provide them with plenty of juicy scenes. One of the endearing qualities of Star-Lord is that he may appear brash and cocky, but Pratt was able to bring out his human, vulnerable side too.
Having Peter Quill meet his father for the first time is going to be a big deal, and it’ll be exciting to see how the two interact when they meet onscreen.
12. Harry Hart’s Resurrection - Kingsman: The Golden Circle
Colin Firth got to exercise his inner Bond in Kingsman: The Secret Service, playing a refined British spy who’s not afraid to lay down a few brutal beatings if need be. He completely stole the show, and even showed he had some action chops in him, thanks to that brutal church massacre scene.
It was genuinely sad to see his character get taken out before the third act after being shot in the head by Sam Jackson’s villain. That appeared to be the end for the short-lived but beloved secret agent, except Harry proved to be so popular that the filmmakers quickly realized they couldn’t make a sequel without him. Thus, Kingsman: The Golden Circle will – somehow – bring his character back to life, and team him up with Taron Egerton’s Eggsy for another adventure.
Maybe the film will have a real thoughtful explanation for Harry’s unlikely survival, but it doesn’t matter all that much. So long as Firth is back in the role, the audience will gladly accept it.
11. The Megazord Assembles - Power Rangers
Anticipation for the Power Rangers reboot feels somewhat muted right now. The trailers make it look like a glossier, less interesting take on Chronicle, the teen heroes seem to be pretty bland, and it’s hard to tell if the world needs a new Power Rangers in the first place. That said, the most recent trailer showed off the the scope of the film, and finally introduced viewers to Bryan Cranston’s Zordon.
There are also a lot of older fans who grew up with the Power Rangers and will be eager to see how it’s reinvented. The trailer also confirmed the Dinozord battle machines would appear in all their glory, and that all five would join together to create the Megazord to fight a giant monster golden monster that we guess is Goldar.
It’s nostalgia bait at its finest, and while the jury is out on whether the movie will launch a franchise, it at least appears the people behind the reboot are being respectful to the source.
10. Wonder Woman Steps Into No Man’s Land - Wonder Woman
While their movies have made money, DC have yet to hit a critical home run with their cinematic universe. Suicide Squad and Batman v Superman played like bad review magnets, and the negative reception appears to have shaved more than a few dollars off the gross of the latter.
Warner Bros will be hoping Justice League and Wonder Woman will turn the tide on that front, even though early word on WW has been a bit troubling. The trailer at least makes it look like a colorful adventure, and Gal Gadot continues to look impressive in the leading role.
The defining moment of the trailer is the moment Diana steps out of a trench and into No Man’s Land, deflecting heavy enemy fire with her shield. It’s an instantly iconic shot, and obviously, the subtext is fairly rich too. If the movie manages to live up to the promise of this one scene, it could be something special.
9. Post-Credits Scenes - Thor 3/Guardians Vol. 2/Homecoming
Part of the issue with watching a new comic book movie is that some of them feel like they’re spinning their wheels, and that they exist merely to keep the train rolling down the track/set up the next adventure. Comic movies such as The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and Thor: The Dark World suffered from these issues, which is why they turned some viewers off.
Marvel has turned the post-credit sting into an artform since Iron Man teased The Avengers all the way back in 2008, and ever since, committed geeks will sit willingly in their seats until the credits finish to catch the latest easter egg.
With Black Panther, Ant-Man And The Wasp, and Avengers: Infinity War coming in 2018, the post-credit teasers this year should have no shortage of material to work with. (A Captain Marvel reveal may also be on the table.) Naturally, it’s near impossible to guess what these scenes will contain, though an educated guess might have the Guardians meeting The Avengers for the first time, which could cause the screen to explode due to sheer combined awesomeness.
8. The Major Vs The Tank - Ghost In The Shell
The upcoming Ghost In The Shell film is based on the famous manga, which was adapted into a groundbreaking anime in 1995. This anime went on to influence the cyberpunk genre in a big way, and The Wachowskis clearly watched it on a loop before penning The Matrix.
For such a famous cult property, it’s surprising it’s taken this long for a live-action version to get made, with the trailer making it look like a faithful mix of the anime movie and television series. The opening scene featuring The Major jumping from a skyscraper is taken directly from the anime, and so is the sequence where she faces off against a heavily armored tank.
This fight is a defining moment for the character, where she’s willing to take on a fight despite the impossible odds. It’s a shame the movie is coming so long after The Matrix, since audiences unfamiliar with Ghost In The Shell might think it’s a rip-off, but there’s no denying it’s looking pretty stylish so far.
7. The Justice League Fighting Together - Justice League
While the setup for the Justice League felt shoehorned into the narrative of Batman v Superman – especially with Wonder Woman scrolling through mini teasers for each member on her laptop – DC made it clear fans wouldn’t have to wait long for the film to arrive.
Even in the early stages, promotional shots depicting the team together is enough to induce chills, because no matter what age you may be, seeing Batman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, and the rest of the group standing side by side is hard to resist. Audiences will swarm to the cinema opening night for that reason alone, so hopefully, the end result will live up to expectations.
One thing that will be awesome is seeing the whole gang – including the revived Superman – fighting together. Just like the iconic shot of The Avengersstanding together in the original movie, Justice League needs to feature a similar moment to make the fans happy.
6. The Abilisk Fight - Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2
Part of the reason audiences dug the original Guardians Of The Galaxy was how much of a pleasant surprise it was, being a pitch-perfect mix of sci-fi adventure with comedy. The fact that it made a star of Chris Pratt, whose initial casting was controversial to say the least, certainly didn’t hurt. It looked like a risky project at the time, but Marvel’s roll of the dice paid off beautifully.
The next installment is already so anticipated that Marvel can get away with keeping the plot entirely under wraps; remarkably little about the story of Vol. 2 has been revealed outside of the broad strokes. The trailer was a perfect tease in that regard, giving viewers a taste of the setpieces and character moments ahead without giving much indication as to what’s really happening.
The trailer centered around the team confronting The Abilisk, a tentacled abomination that looks like H.P. Lovecraft drew a picture of The Thing. It looks like a hell of a fight too, with Drax actually jumping into the creature’s mouth to do some damage from the inside. James Gunn will be on comfortable ground too, returning to slimy tentacle monsters years after helming Slither.
5. Spidey (and Iron Man?) vs Vulture - Spider-Man: Homecoming
Captain America: Civil War established that Tony Stark and Peter Parker would become future buddies, with Tony acting as a mentor to the young crimefighter and gifting him with his cool new outfit. Fans were grateful for the news that Stark would also be appearing in Spider-Man: Homecoming, which is probably more of an extended cameo than it is a major role.
Tony acting as a father figure to a newbie superhero is a fresh dynamic for the snarky billionaire, so it will be fascinating to see how that relationship develops. Robert Downey Jr. and Tom Holland share a great onscreen chemistry, so watching them bounce off each other should be a treat.
Homecoming also brings The Vulture to the big screen for the first time, and we may even see Marvel’s dynamic duo have to face him down together. The trailer already established Iron Man comes to Spider-Man’s aid at some point, and seeing two generations teaming up to take down Michael Keaton – the actor who made superheroes cool in the first place – would be cool beyond the power of mortal words to describe.
4. Gory Berserker Rage - Logan
Hugh Jackman has spoken in the past of trying to capture Wolverine’s brutal, animalistic side and never feeling like he truly nailed it. The rating of the previous movies had something to do with that, since PG-13 leaves little wiggle room for the blood and guts that you’d think would coat an antihero with adamantium claws.
Jackman and director James Mangold flirted with a harsher take in the extended version of The Wolverine, sprinkling some gore and naughty language throughout the story. Jackman finally got his wish to make a hard-R version with Logan, meaning fans will finally get to see a full blown berserker rage in action, and all the claw stabbing mayhem that entails.
He’s had a few berserkers before – notably in Apocalypse – yet they’ve always felt tame because of the rating. That won’t be a problem this time around, and the trailers have already teased some of the damage he’ll unleash. In the end, fans are excited for Logan because of the characters and story, but some gory mayhem doesn’t hurt either. It’s safe to expect Wolverine (and X-23, for that matter) to tear it up like we’ve never seen before.
3. The Hulk Vs Thor - Thor: Ragnarok
Marvel fans have wanted a movie version of Planet Hulk ever since the comic was published, but Marvel seemed reluctant to commit to another solo adventure with the not so jolly green giant. The character’s previous two solo outings proved underwhelming at the box office, and rights issues with Universal made another Hulk adventure more trouble than it was worth.
Marvel was able to get around all those sticking points by making the Planet Hulk arc part of the next Thor film, where the two former allies are forced to fight in a gladiator style arena. This showdown will no doubt be a centerpiece moment of the movie, and like the concept art above illustrates, it’s going to epic.
In addition to this setpiece, the cast and crew have promised Thor: Ragnarok will feature Thor and The Hulk in a buddy movie style team-up, which already makes it sound better than the first two Thor movies combined.
2. Supermans Returns…Again - Justice League
It’s well known that Zack Snyder likes his superheroes a shade darker and grittier, which he demonstrated by having Superman snap a guy’s neck and Batman happily blowing up henchmen. Justice League promises to bring a more optimistic touch to the DC Cinematic Universe, with the teaser trailer showing off a lighter tone and a handful of gags, courtesy of Ezra Miller’s Flash.
One of the major questions is how Superman will be brought back into the fold following his fatal confrontation with Doomsday in Dawn Of Justice. Of course, nobody expected him to stay dead for very long, with even the final shot of floating dirt confirming his resurrection was imminent.
This will obviously be a major turning point in the story, no matter how it’s handled. It has yet to be revealed exactly how Supes will play into the story – there’s even speculation he could turn evil – but when he returns this time around, lets hope it’s more interesting than the last time he tried that.
1. Hugh Jackman’s Final Scene - Logan
It’s hard to imagine a time when X-Men fans were angry with Hugh Jackman being cast as Wolverine, feeling he was much too tall (wimpy, even) for the character. The actor wasn’t well known at the time, but thanks to his iconic turn, he emerged from the movie a star.
Jackman just plain understood the role, capturing his moments of intense hatred along with his more soulful side. By all accounts, Logan looks to be his defining performance with the character, which is impressive considering it’s his ninth time playing him. He’s also ruled out a future return – meaning no Deadpool/Wolverine team-up – and it’s going to be bittersweet watching his final scene playing Logan.
Rarely has there been such a perfect match between actor and character, and while he’s ending things on a high note, he’s definitely going to be missed. Also, spare a thought for the poor actor who eventually takes over the role; he’s got a very hard act to follow.
–
Which surefire comic book movie scenes are you psyched to see in the coming months? Let us know in the comments.
