After "Deadpool": What’s New (And What’s Next) For Marvel In 2016

Marvel is absolutely thriving at the moment and destroying all rivals in its path, whether it be in comics, movies, or, more recently, television.

In 2016 we’ve seen Deadpool, Daredevil and All-New All-Different Marvel, and soon we’ll see Captain America: Civil War, which will lead the Marvel Cinematic Universe into Phase Three. There’s so much happening right now, it’s kind of overwhelming – but fantastic. (Are you excited? I’m excited.)

If you haven’t been keeping up with Marvel (I don’t blame you; there’s so much going on it's making my head spin), here’s the low-down…

All-New All-Different Marvel:

Okay, so Marvel comics basically made a clean slate by starting from #1 again. There are new characters, new series, and massive changes for the pre-existing properties. Even some characters in the Marvel universe will be getting their own comics (such as The Vision). However, this is not a reboot; it’s more of a… semi-refresh. What I mean is that the continuity remains intact, but everything else has restarted. So, the comics still hold onto the history and characters aren’t just taken out. They have started to be released and so far, this transition into modern Marvel has many sides.

Releases so far include; Captain America, Carnage, Daredevil, Deadpool, The Vision, New Avengers, Old Man Logan and many, many more.

Deadpool:

Much in the way that Robert Downey Jr. is Tony Stark, Ryan Reynolds is Wade Wilson. Deadpool was hilarious and Reynolds was incredible. The actors were compelling, the characters were unforgettable (Negasonic Teenage Warhead stole my heart, okay?)… everything was just great, including the action, the comedy and even the comic soundtrack playing behind snappy dialogue. This is reflected by Deadpool absolutely destroying The Matrix Reloaded at the box office, taking the title of top-earning R-rated movie in cinema history. By earning more than $US750 million globally (and counting), Deadpool beat The Matrix Reloaded’s $US742 worldwide tally. Yes, you can expect a sequel in the next few years. Whether this is a good or a bad thing is up to you. (NB: Deadpool is produced by 20th Century Fox and isn’t officially part of the MCU.)

Daredevil:

Daredevil Season Two recently debuted on Netflix; hopefully you’ve watched it all. It was truly fantastic and actually much more violent than Season One, which some didn’t quite sign up for. While Daredevil is mostly about Matt Murdock, there is a special little character who has snuck her way out of one show, and into another: the less-super but still heroic Claire Temple, who also appeared in Jessica Jones and will be appearing in the other Netflix Marvel shows, Luke Cage and Iron Fist. What does this mean? Well, this means Claire Temple is the key to crossing over each of the Netflix Marvel shows leading to The Defenders – hooray!  Some of The Defenders may even show up in Marvel movies. Who knows at this point? This may scare away more casual audiences who don’t want to watch four TV shows just to know what’s going on and make things a little messy and dragged on, but it does leave huge Marvel fans (like myself) begging for more.

Captain America: Civil War:

The damage that superheroes wreak on cities is insane, and the damages that have to be paid for are usually ignored. Now though, The Avengers are being held accountable for the damage. While this ‘you broke it, now you have to pay for it’ system seems simple, it isn’t. In this new flick, the team breaks in two, with Captain America believing that the government should leave him alone and let him save people and Iron Man disagreeing by supporting ‘superhero registration’. The film is being released April 28th and will feature the big-screen debut of Black Panther and Tom Holland’s new Spider-Man. If that doesn’t get you pumped, maybe knowing that there will be three post-credit scenes will. I wish I could bold and underline THREE more, but you get the point.

While it isn’t known for sure what those scenes will be, there are definitely theories; one being that Benedict Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange will be promoted, as his movie is also coming, late 2016. Another is that uber-villain Thanos will have a longer scene, getting us pumped for the next Avengers sequels, titled Infinity Wars. Do you have any theories of your own?

What’s Next:

So, phase three of MCU is just about to start. Phase three consists of these films:

• Captain America: Civil War (2016)
• Doctor Strange (2016)
• Guardians of the Galaxy 2 (2017)
• Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
• Black Panther (2017)
• Avengers: Infinity War Part One (2018)
• Captain Marvel (2018)
• Inhumans (2018)
• Avengers: Infinity War Part Two (2019)

That’s intense. 2019 is such a long way away and they’ve already begun to prepare everything. However, while everything so far has been excellent, is this a bit of an overload? Don’t get me wrong, I am not at all complaining; but it does seem like it could be a bit much for more casual viewers, especially with the more adult content – like Deadpool and Daredevil - flooding in at the moment (sorry kids).

Is Marvel trying to appeal more to their comic book readers, or are they trying to cater for everyone at once? What is the future of Marvel? Can they sustain the quality that we’ve seen so far? Sound off below!

Bianca Welsh-Jayne is one of Student Edge’s student contributors. Learn more about the contributors program.

Photo: 20th Century Fox.