Warner Bros. increase character diversity in next decade of sequels

Warner Bros. Studios, the owners of DC Entertainment and Marvel Studios, has had a very eventful month, releasing their planned superhero movie lineup through 2020. With an abundance of new information, one must sift through the news to analyze what's coming up next for fans of superhero film.

Here are the basics: Both studios are releasing an array of exciting sequels, beginning with this summer’s “Avengers: Age of Ultron” and 2016’s “Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice.” The trailer for “Age of Ultron” leaked on Oct. 22 and was officially released by Marvel Entertainment later that night. These movies are each studio’s answer to ensemble films, which will introduce new characters and provide a launch pad for upcoming movies. Marvel releases works in phases, and for the foreseeable future, the end of each phase is marked with an Avengers movie. While “Age of Ultron” will close out phase two, phase three begins with “Ant-Man” (2015).

One of the most anticipated movies of phase three is “Captain America: Civil War,” which will be released in May 2016. The film is presumably based on the Marvel Comics arc “Civil War” (2006 -2007), which focused on a rift between Captain America and Iron Man. In the story, Iron Man comes out for a Superhero Registration Act while Captain America opposes it. This comic's arc is controversial, and how the story will translate into film remains unclear.

Warner Bros. and Marvel also announced new movies which will have both black and female actors starring in leading roles. Warner Bros. will release “Wonder Woman” in 2017, starring Israeli actress Gal Godot (Godot will definitely appear in “Batman v Superman” before her own film is released). 2020’s “Cyborg” will feature Ray Fisher as Victor Stone, the titular character. Marvel Studios is also making “Black Panther,” slated for release in 2017. The movie will star Chadwick Boseman as T’Challa, the prince of the fictional African country of Wakanda with the superhero identity Black Panther.There will also be a “Captain Marvel” movie in 2018, which will focus on female character Carol Danvers (uncast as of yet).

While a host of other movies have been announced by both studios, these are the most culturally significant. Marvel Studios has released six movies starring white men named Chris, so this new dedication to making more diverse movies is refreshing. Hopefully, it is a sign that they will continue to strive for greater representation in their ensemble casts and in films focusing on individual heroes.

Unfortunately, there was no news of a Black Widow movie starring Scarlett Johansson, unless Marvel is planning on producing it in secret and dropping it on a random day, Beyonce-style. Johansson’s Natasha Romanoff, also known as Black Widow, has appeared in “Iron Man 2” (2010), “The Avengers” (2012), “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” (2014) and “Avengers: Age of Ultron.” Appearances in these movies have allowed for character development and many fans had hoped, in vain, for the announcement of a new Black Widow movie.

Warner Bros. also announced two “Justice League” movies, with “Part One” slated for release in 2017 and “Part Two” in 2019.“The Flash” (2018) will star Ezra Miller and “Aquaman” (2018) will feature Jason Momoa. A “Green Lantern” movie will hit theater screens in 2020, though the cast has not been announced yet.

Marvel Studios will be producing numerous sequels, including a third “Thor” movie and a second “Guardians of the Galaxy,” both in 2017.“Avengers: Infinity Gauntlet” will be divided into two movies, to be released in 2018 and 2019 respectively.

The world will surely have a steady diet of superhero movies for at least the next few years, and fortunately there is now some more diversity to elevate the films. Hopefully both Warner Bros. and Marvel will continue to make even more films that offer both more inclusive representation and entertainment in the coming years.