I am certain that 2025 is the most exciting year for the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the DC Universe in almost two decades. For as long as many can remember, the Marvel and DC rivalry has been raging. This will only continue, with upcoming Marvel movies being compared to the DC movies of the past and future. As expected, the same is true for the upcoming DC movies of the DCU, with many wondering if James Gunn can recapture what made Marvel so successful in the 2010s.

The DCU’s Chapter One: Gods and Monsters is getting into full swing in 2025, putting more pressure on DC to “catch up” to Marvel. I am under the impression that a rising tide lifts all boats and that compeтιтion will only breed success for both parties, which is why I view it as somewhat negative that the MCU has been superior to the fractured timeline of the DCEU over the last decade, despite having its own issues of late. However, as of 2025, I think the future of both franchises looks equally bright for the first time since 2008.

2025 Is Shaping Up To Be A Mᴀssive Year For DC & Marvel

Both Franchises Are Set To Have A Strong Year

Firstly, it is worth examining 2025 in-depth and why this year appears to be particularly strong for Marvel and DC. The DC side of things is the easiest to sum up, with the DCU’s first official movie, James Gunn’s Superman, releasing in July. The reaction to Superman‘s trailers has been excellent, and the early box office tracking suggests it will be nothing less than a much-needed commercial win for the DC brand. Early projections indicate Superman could earn up to $180 million in its opening weekend, and that is only in domestic territories.

On the Marvel side, The Fantastic Four: First Steps also releases in July and is tracking to be almost as commercially successful as Superman. Numbers for that movie indicate Marvel could haul up to $155 million in its opening domestic weekend. With both movies testing well and having a lot of hype around them, it seems as though both Marvel and DC will each have a hit on their hands in July 2025. This is without mentioning Marvel Studios’ Thunderbolts* which, while failing to perform commercially, is regarded as one of the best MCU movies in the last half-decade.

The Wider Implications Of The DCU & MCU Make 2025 Even Bigger Than First Thought

Both Franchises Have Bigger Futures Than Any One Movie

When widening the scope of this inquiry and looking at the MCU and DCU as a whole, 2025 looks even bigger than just Superman and The Fantastic Four: First Steps being critically and commercially successful. Again, the DCU’s broader implications are much easier to quantify given that Superman is the first installment in the shared DC Universe. The DCEU was fractured for some time, leading James Gunn to be hired as the co-CEO of DC Studios alongside Peter Safran to create an interconnected DC franchise across film, TV, and gaming.

Superman, despite the release of Creature Commandos in 2024, has long been considered the first step in this plan. 2026 will then see the release of Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow and Clayface. If Superman is a hit, the former will likely only benefit from this and establish two of the key characters of the fledgling DC Universe. Lanterns is also set for a 2026 release date, with all of these projects hinging on Superman‘s success. If 2025 is as big for the DCU as it seems it will be, it will promise equally big years ahead as the franchise looks to find its feet.

On the Marvel side of the pond, 2025 is somewhat of a transition year for the franchise. The tumultuous production of Phase 4 of the MCU and the scrapping of an original Avengers plan in light of Jonathan Majors’ ᴀssault charges has caused the franchise to switch directions very suddenly. This, combined with a new quality-over-quanтιтy mandate from Bob Iger upon his reinstatement as Disney CEO, means 2025 is much more important to the MCU than just having another potentially billion-dollar movie.

In a report by Variety, Iger classed Thunderbolts* as the first example of the MCU’s new quality-driven mandate, as evident by its very strong reviews. The Fantastic Four: First Steps will tie intrinsically to this in terms of both storyline – thanks to Thunderbolts*’ post-credit scene – and in terms of being a strong, compelling, standalone movie for the most part. Both movies will then tie into Avengers: Doomsday, a movie that will indicate whether the MCU is back to its interconnected best. Evidently, 2025 is just as big for the MCU’s wider future as it is for the DCU’s.

2008 Was The Last Time The Future Of Both Marvel & DC Looked So Bright

DC Was Focused & Marvel Reinvented Franchise Filmmaking

With 2025 looking so vital and promising for both franchises, I am certain this is the first time this has happened since 2008. There have been odd years in the last 17 in which both Marvel and DC have had success, but in terms of the future looking as promising as it does now, 2008 was the last time. That year is synonymous with the origin of the MCU thanks to the release of Iron Man, with audiences and critics alike loving the movie while having an incredible future teased by Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury in the film’s post-credit scene.

While the future of DC was not as overtly promising as a shared universe in 2008, the brand still had its own success. This year saw the release of The Dark Knight, which is still considered the best Batman movie and one of the best DC movies of all time to this day. The confirmation of a third installment in Nolan’s Batman trilogy only furthered this excitement, and this hype was not marred by the uncertainty of an inconsistent interconnected franchise as the DCEU did not begin until 2013.

17 years later, 2008 may finally be being rivaled in terms of both franchises having successful potential futures. The MCU’s period of uncertainty looks to be coming to an end, with the future only promising a return to what made the franchise so successful initially. The hype around the DC Universe speaks for itself, with many looking forward to an interconnected franchise with a singular vision, clear storytelling, and varied characters for the first time since the DCEU was announced.

It Looks As Though Marvel & DC’s Uncertain Periods Are A Thing Of The Past

2025 Could Be The Turning Point

All of this is to say that 2025 could be a turning point for both DC and Marvel. Both franchises have had overly uncertain periods in recent years for similar reasons. Both franchises have been unfocused and creatively uncertain for some time, especially where the DCEU was concerned. Ever since Zack Snyder departed the production of Justice League in 2017, the franchise became split in two in myriad ways; The films released were split between studio mandates and the will of their filmmakers, and the fans were left fighting between Synder’s vision and a new direction.

This continued all the way up until 2023, marking almost eight years of a franchise with such potential being torn apart by unsure leadership. While the MCU’s issues were perhaps not as prevalent, the franchise became a victim of its own success. Avengers: Endgame was a perfect finale to the Infinity Saga, with many wondering whether the franchise needed to continue at all. Marvel Studios did so, leading to an unfocused Phase 4 that introduced many new characters, subplots, and storylines that are yet to go anywhere.

Jonathan Majors’ situation and the ruin of Avengers: The Kang Dynasty did not help matters, only leading to a more uncertain future for the franchise. Thankfully, though, both of these franchises seem to have absolved these issues going forward. The Marvel Cinematic Universe is building towards Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars with a renewed sense of clarity while the DC Universe is being ushered into a new era by James Gunn. 2025 is the starting point for both of these, marking the biggest year for both franchises simultaneously since 2008.