Life has been busy, so I got behind on a few things, including trailers. I recently got a chance to catch up on several of them, so I thought I’d give a run through of what I saw and my reactions. There’s some great looking stuff coming up.

Spider-Man Noir (release sometime in early 2026 on Amazon)- Nicholas Cage is starring in this live action adaptation of one of the many variants of Spider-Man. The Noir version was relatively unknown to the general public until he appeared in Into the Spider-Verse, voiced by Nicolas Cage (hey, look how that worked out). This is a darker (literally and figuratively) version of Spider-Man, in the style of a noir detective. The bits they’ve let us see so far are visually impressive, and the one line that stuck with me, “You don’t own the city, you infect it. And I’m the cure.” seems about right with the overall tone. It should be noted this is not part of the MCU, and probably won’t tie into the Spider-Verse movies, either.

Superman (in theaters July 11, 2025)- The original superhero that started the entire concept returns to the big screen in July. This is part of the new version of the DC Universe helmed by James Gunn, which apparently began with, of all things, the Creature Commandos animated series. It’s a new take on the character that, so far, seems to go back to his traditional characterization. While I’m not sold on the “Justice Gang” name that seems to be replacing the Justice League, the characters we’ve seen so far are an interesting mix. The scene with Lois interviewing Superman looks great on many levels, and I’m really looking forward to this. In addition to Superman, Lois, and the obligatory Lex, familiar characters include Green Lantern Guy Gardener, Hawkgirl, Mr. Terrific (the second one if you’re a comic geek), Metamorpho the Element Man, and even Krypto the Super-Dog.

Ironheart (June 24, 2025 on Disney+)- Riri Williams made her MCU debut in Wakanda Forever, and has big boots to fill as she’s taking on the powered armor hero role in the wake of Tony Stark’s death in Endgame (yes, War Machine is in theory still around, but when was the last time he suited up?). She’s back in the US after her visit to Wakanda, and seems to be striking out on her own. From the trailer, it appears that her nemesis will be The Hood, a relatively obscure character and an interesting choice. For me at least, part of the fun of a new MCU project is seeing how it fits in with the larger universe (if it does; Moon Knight was notably off on his own). Given both her age and her armor, I could see her later becoming part of either the Avengers or the still-assembling Young Avengers that Kamela Khan is working on.

Peacemaker, season two (August 21, 2025 on HBOMax or whatever they’re calling it this week)- I’ve been a hero geek my entire life, and take my superheroes seriously… for the most part. One of the exceptions is Peacemaker, as played by John Cena. The character is radically different from his comic book counterpart, silly, ridiculously violent, and takes another character along for the parody ride, all of which usually means I’m not going to care for it. This show worked in season one, in part because of Cena’s earnestness in playing the character. There are some ties to the larger DC Universe, and at least most of the cast is back, and the big threat seems to hinge on events from The Suicide Squad movie.

I am thrilled to be living in the era of live action superheroes, and can’t wait to see these, and whatever else comes along.