It's only February, but as last week's Super Bowl ads ably demonstrated, the war for control of the superhero summer has already started. Which non-movie-trailer trailer for a movie won your heart: watching Ant-Man and the Hulk fight over a can of Coke, or being invited to visit Gotham City by Bruce Wayne himself? Or was the straightforward tease of X-Men: Apocalypse more your speed?
Whatever your answer, just know that studios are already vying for your vote, and they're not above leaking and/or teasing future developments just to keep your interest. With that in mind, here are the highlights of the last week of superhero news, starting with this very special spoiler.
Here's a rumor that, if true, is a very, very big spoiler for Captain America: Civil War, so those who don't want the end of the movie ruined, skip ahead to the next item. No, really. Still here? Then you might want to know that, according to Geek.com, two endings have been shot for this May's big Marvel movie, and that in the one the studio wants to use, Steve Rogers is killed by Crossbones—and, as in the comic books, his place is taken by Bucky, who becomes the new Captain America. This is a plot development that's been rumored for quite some time, in large part because it's part of the "Winter Soldier" storyline in the comics but hasn't yet surfaced in the movies. So is this legit? We'll find out in May.
Why this is super: If the movies are going to follow the Ed Brubaker-written Cap comics this closely, it's only a good sign; those are some great comics.
A Tumblr post from Arrow boss Marc Guggenheim has a lot of people speculating that Deathstroke the Terminator—an all-round bad-ass mercenary who originated in The New Teen Titans comics but has gone on to show up in all manner of places both on panel and on screen, including Arrow—is set for a big screen debut. In his post, Guggenheim noted his show can't use the character again because he's "currently tied up in another DC project," leading some to conclude Deathstroke is off TV because he's headed to the cineplex. Similar wording has been used to explain why characters that are definitely tied up in movies—such as Green Lantern—won't appear on the show, so perhaps this is a clue.
Why this is unclear: While a movie debut is possible, it's just as likely that Deathstroke is in use somewhere else on television, considering that the official Arrowverse includes two other shows, with both Legends of Tomorrow and Flash able to use *Arrow'*s characters. But now that Deadpool (who started life as a Deathstroke riff) has his own movie, who knows what lies ahead?
Perhaps you saw these commercials during the Super Bowl on Sunday (or, more likely, online afterwards):
Firstly, can we talk about how well Ben Affleck does the "I am smug and above this random TV ad" pose? Secondly, if you're thinking, "that's a weird viral teaser for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice," you have no idea. It's part of a campaign that also includes landing pages for the two superheroic cities and a soon-to-be-released 120-page special edition of Time Out focusing on the Gotham/Metropolis area, all of which are attempts to turn Batman and Superman's stomping grounds into realistic locations ahead of the release of Zack Snyder's slugfest next month.
Why this is super: As longtime fans of the fictional locations of the DC Universe, this kind of worldbuilding is endlessly charming to us, so we can't deny the allure of a massive fake Time Out magazine that might drop teases about Midway City, Coast City, or even Themyscira. Meanwhile, ABC's Good Morning America seems to be planning something mysterious to promote the new movie as well. It really is Batman and Superman's world. We just live in it. And wish we could visit the bohemian areas of Gotham, of course.
OK, so Deadpool will finally hit theaters this week, fresh off positive reviews and a successful promotional campaign that has won over all but the most ardent haters. But where does the Merc with a Mouth go next? Ryan Reynolds offered a potential hint in an interview with German outlet Filmstarts, saying "X-Force is my priority. I really want to get that in." There is, of course, already an X-Force movie in development at Fox; whether or not Reynolds is saying he wants to appear in that movie, or is talking about a different project altogether is unclear. (A Deadpool sequel is in the works, after all.) But at least Reynolds and co-star T.J. Miller already know who they'd like to see play the group's leader, Cable.
Why this is super: The incarnation of the X-Force lineup that Deadpool belonged to also included Psylocke, who's about to make her cinematic debut in X-Men: Apocalypse played by Olivia Munn, so maybe that's what he's talking about? What would those two be like together?
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Yeah, it'd be just like that.
Looks like the Flash will arrive in theaters a little earlier than expected. As part of the continued movie release date shuffle caused by Disney's shifting Star Wars: Episode VIII from May 2017 to December 2017, the Hollywood Reporter noted that an as-yet-unnamed DC movie will move from March 23, 2018 to March 16, 2018. Almost everyone not in the loop believes that this project is, in fact, the Ezra Miller-starring Flash solo movie.
Why this is super: It's a very small move, admittedly, but who would be surprised that the fastest man alive ends up arriving quicker than expected? (Then again, Barry Allen is traditionally always late, not early...)
