Both Marvel and DC have plenty of popular superheroes, but each brand has a few that stand head and shoulders above the rest. For Marvel, some of its biggest heroes include Spider-Man and Wolverine, and, more recently, Iron Man. Over at DC, the biggest superhero by a wide margin is Batman, who is confirmed to return in a new sequel movie next year. James Gunn is also developing a new Batman movie set to be directed by Andy Muschietti (The Flash), but it’s been years since it was announced and no casting or production timeline has been revealed. Batman is such a popular character that even his villains and sidekicks can be considered some of DC’s most popular superheroes — HBO released a full Penguin spin-off starring Colin Farrell that swept the Emmys last year with nine wins.

While Marvel fans are preparing for a few big movies this year, like Spider-Man: Brand New Day and Avengers: Doomsday, it’s angling to be a quieter year for DC in 2026. The studio does have a few big new releases coming later this year, like Supergirl, which features stars like Milly Alcock and Jason Momoa. The second and final DC movie of the year is Clayface, starring Tom Rhys Harries, which is coming to theaters this October. Both films are operating under James Gunn’s new DCU banner, but there’s another DC film in development set in Elseworlds that may be the most anticipated superhero movie of the next few years. The film in question is The Batman Part II, which comes from director Matt Reeves, who also helmed the 2022 Batman film.