Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania to Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom: Superhero movies to look forward to in 2023

The DC Extended Universe (DCEU) as we know it, will soon come to a close in 2023, while the Marvel Cinematic Universe, on the other hand, gears up for its chapter with the Multiverse-Saga. After spending an entire year (2022) introducing the audience to a bunch of new heroes, villains, anti-heros and dimensions, fans of supehero franchises will have a lot to look forward to in the next 12 months. While Paul Rudd kicks off the year by ushering in The Kang Dynasty in the MCU, Jason Momoa will end 2023 by extending his reign in the DCEU in The Lost Kingdom. Here's a list of superhero films to look forward to this year...

The first superhero from the Marvel Cinematic Universe arriving on the big screen this 2023 is Paul Rudd's Scott Lang, aka Ant-Man. The superhero will not only be the first to delve deep into the Quantum realm, but it will also introduce the MCU to its next big villain - Kang The Conqueror. Going by the trailer, the movie will set the course for Jonathan Majors to usher in the Kang Dynasty within the MCU, thus setting the ball rolling for the next Avengers instalment - Avengers: The Kang Dynasty which is slated to release in 2025.

The first DC superhero arriving on the big screen in 2023 will be Zachary Levi's Shazam, who arrives on March 17. Coming four years after the release of the original film, Shazam: Fury of the Gods will see the entire Shazam Family cast reuniting, with DC's Daughters of Atlas - Hespera played by Helen Mirren, Lucy Liu's Kalypso and Rachel Zegler's Anthea. There are even rumours of other DCU heroes making cameo appearances in the film, even as Levi's future in the DCEU remains unclear.

All Guardians of the Galaxy fans will be heading to theatres for one final ride across the universe on May 5. The franchise that returns after a six-year hiatus for the third and final instalment, follows Chris Pratt's Star-Lord on his search for Gamora (Zoe Saldana) and Rocket's (Bradley Cooper) origin. The team also will fight the villainous High Evolutionary, played by Chukwudi Iwuji and the highly anticipated introduction of the villain, Adam Warlock played by Will Poulter. Rest assured, some Guardians members will die on this cosmic adventure that wraps up the trilogy.

Your friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man is back, this time, he will be swinging through the multiverse on June 2. The sequel to the Oscar-winning animated hit Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, follows Miles Morales (voiced by Shameik Moore), Gwen Stacy (voiced by Hailee Steinfeld), and Peter B. Parker (voiced by Jake Johnson) once more as they get wrapped up in a multiversal fight against other Spider-Men. This includes Spider-Man 2099 (voiced by Oscar Isaac), Spider-Punk (voiced by Daniel Kaluuya) and even Spider-Woman (voiced by Issa Rae).

There among the many Spider-Men and Spider-Women, Indian fans can expect to see the hero fly through the busy Indian streets. The film's trailer already gave fans a tease of all the action in store for the upcoming action-adventure flick.

Another multiverse will be thrown open, this time in the DCEU when Ezra Miller's The Flash finally releases on June 16. Originally announced in 2014, the long-awaited solo film for Barry Allen will see him bolting through a multiverse, trying to save his mother. This, in turn, changes the universe, allowing both Ben Affleck's and Michael Keaton's Batman to make their respective returns. The film will also introduce Sasha Calle as Supergirl.

The Marvels, the final Marvel movie to hit screens in 2023, arrives on July 28. Directed by Nia DaCosta, the sequel to the Billion-dollar hit Brie Larson starrer Captain Marvel, is releasing four years after the original. It will see Carol Danvers uniting with some of the most powerful women in the MCU, including Iman Vellani's Kamala Khan, aka Ms Marvel, and Teyonah Parris' Monica Rambeau. The film's plot is still a mystery, although it was teased through Ms Marvel's post-credits scene that Carol and Kamala would swap places.

The movie will also feature Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury and introduces Zawe Ashton as a mysterious new villain.

On Christmas 2023, strap on for a 'buddy adventure' under the sea with Jason Momoa returning as Arthur Curry in 'Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom'. The film will hope to end the year on an action-packed note as it brings back Patrick Wilson as Ocean Master and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Black Manta. It remains to be seen if Amber Heard's character Mera makes it to the final cut of the film, especially after threats from fans to boycott the film following the events of the actress' trial with ex-husband Johnny Depp.

'Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom' is planned as the final DCEU film after which James Gunn is expected to usher in a new chapter.