ScreenCrush’s Comic Strip is a weekly roundup of the hottest superhero movie news items. From Marvel to DC Comics and points in between, if it pertains to costumed superheroes, we’re covering it here, bringing you our expert analysis. This week, we have X-Men prequel action, ‘Avengers 2’ casting rumors and some of the juiciest ‘Spider-Man 2’ speculation. Read at your own risk!

‘The Avengers 2’

And the latest superhero rumored to be joining Joss Whedon’s Avengers when next the team assembles is … Kick-Ass?

Lionsgate
Lionsgate
loading...

Well, we’re not exactly going to see Dave Lizewski fighting crime along side Captain America and Iron Man, but reports that surfaced last week link ‘Kick-Ass’ star Aaron Taylor-Johnson to the role of Quicksilver in ‘The Avengers 2.’

The Wrap calls Taylor-Johnson the frontrunner for the role, which is interesting because the ‘Anna Karenina’ co-star almost played Cyclops for Fox’s ‘X-Men: First Class.’ The dude is destined for a lifetime of superhero tights. Reports still say that Whedon is looking for a Saoirse Ronan-type to play Quicksilver’s sister, Scarlet Witch. Why they haven’t offered the role to Ronan, however, is beyond us.

-- Speaking of locking up roles, Whedon says he won’t do ‘Avengers 2’ unless Robert Downey Jr. is back in the Iron Man suit. So, count on RDJ’s name being on the marquee when ‘The Avengers 2' hits theaters in 2015.

-- It’s widely believed that the Avengers are going to have to lock horns with Thanos at some point. Whedon showed the mighty god in his closing credits of the first ‘Avengers’ movie. But he has been vague about whether Thanos will surface for the second or third ‘Avengers’ movie. Either way, it’s being speculated that he’ll be played by Benicio Del Toro once he makes his way to the big screen.

Marvel/Getty Images
Marvel/Getty Images
loading...

Deadline linked Del Toro to James Gunn’s ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ in a mystery role that will be integral to future Marvel movies. That sure as hell sounds like Thanos to us. Can you think of another character Del Toro could play in ‘Guardians’ and “future” Marvel movies? Rocket Raccoon? Or Taneleer Tivan, The Collector – as is being speculated by ComicBookMovie?

‘Man of Steel’

Obviously, this week is all about ‘Man of Steel,’ Zack Snyder’s Superman reboot that finally soars into theaters in a few days. We have the eleventh TV spot, and lengthy fight sequences to keep you entertained. Plenty more clips are housed here. Click away, but know that spoilers lurk, so be warned.

-- Snyder also spoke with Hero Complex about the inevitable Justice League movie, which many DC fans want to see in theaters once ‘Man of Steel’ proves that this universe can exist on screen. On the prospects, Snyder hinted:

Do the DC characters exist in the universe I created? The answer is yes. In my mind, we have this fantastic character of Superman. It’s not madness that there would be others. … Now, that being said, does a ‘Justice League’ movie exist now? No. Whether or not I ever get to make that movie, I don’t know.

If ‘Man of Steel’ makes as much money as we expect it to make, you can bet Snyder will be offered ‘Justice League,’ and it will be his movie to turn down.

‘X-Men’ and ‘The Wolverine’

Hydration, people. It’s the key to maintaining your skin’s blue hue.

At least, that’s what Mystique is doing in the ‘X-Men: Days of Future Past’ set photos captured by Fan-Girl.org.

Fan-Girl.org
Fan-Girl.org
loading...
loading...
loading...

The second photo suggests that Mystique is attending the political protests we wrote about in last week’s Comic Strip column. But who is Jennifer Lawrence standing next to in that last photo? Is it a young Ororo Munroe, the mutant who’ll go on become Storm (played in Bryan Singer’s films by Halle Berry)? It’s possible. We shall see.

-- Lawrence hasn’t cornered the market on uncomfortable mutant make-up and costuming that helps one turn blue. Nicholas Hoult will return to the X-Men franchise to play Dr. Hank McCoy, aka Beast, and in these new set photos, we see the furry blue hero beating the daylights out of Michael Fassbender’s Magneto. (Thanks again, Fan-Girl.)

loading...
loading...

-- When it comes to the X-Men cinematic universe, we take for granted that Hugh Jackman will play Wolverine forever. But did you read the recent comments by the Aussie actor, who has played Logan seven different times? He seems to be hinting at an end game to his role as Wolverine, which is dicey, given the fact that ‘Future Past’ seems to want to up the stakes of Fox’s mutant franchise, and you are going to need Wolverine for future installments.

We ran a poll asking if Fox should recast Wolverine if Jackman were to walk. At the moment, you guys think Wolverine should be retired if Jackman leaves. Feel free to weigh in on the poll.

-- But Jackman isn’t finished yet. He has his standalone Wolverine movie coming to theaters in July, and Fox Tweeted this image with a quote from the actor promising our most in-depth look at the mutant hero yet:

20th Century Fox
20th Century Fox
loading...

‘Captain American: The Winter Soldier’

Back when we saw the concept art for ‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier,’ it showed Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) facing off against his rival, Bucky, in the sequel. And while we saw the shield in action, we didn’t notice that Cap wasn’t in costume .

Well, new set pics captured by Comic Book Therapy show Evans facing off against a knife-wielding Sebastian Stan as ‘Winter Soldier’ rolls on.

Comic Book Therapy
Comic Book Therapy
loading...
loading...

‘The Amazing Spider-Man 2’

God, so many juicy ‘Amazing Spider-Man’ sequel rumors dropped over the last few days, we hardly know where to begin.

SKIP THIS SECTION if you want to go into Marc Webb’s ‘The Amazing Spider-Man 2’ unscathed, because things are about to get might spoilery.

We jumped on this one earlier today, but ComicBookMovie suggests that Colm Feore will be playing Adrian Toomes in Webb’s sequel. Spidey readers know that Toomes becomes The Vulture, and the site suggests that Vulture eventually will team with Electro (Jamie Foxx) and The Rhino (Paul Giamatti) to form The Sinister Six in the expected ‘The Amazing Spider-Man 3.’

This would elevate Webb’s Spidey franchise to an epic level, and could set up an ending cliffhanger that leaves ‘Empire Strikes Back’ in its dust. Does this mean that Webb has to find a new Doctor Octopus? He's crucial to The Sinister Six, and probably is due for an update (as much as we loved Alfred Molina in Sam Raimi's 'Spider-Man 2').

But, that’s not all. It is being reported that Chris Cooper has been spotted on Webb’s set in full Green Goblin costume, meaning that Spider-Man (Andrew Garfield) will face off against his greatest rival in the upcoming sequel. ComicBookMovie has costume details on the new Goblin, hinting at what iteration of the enemy we might see on screen. Could this mean we’ll see Gwen Stacy’s death in the closing moments of ‘Spidey 2?’

Well, we don’t see them in the latest set photos, which have Spidey and Gwen swinging through New York City, courtesy of Superhero Hype:

Superhero Hype
Superhero Hype
loading...
loading...

‘Kick-Ass 2’

We started this week’s column with ‘Kick-Ass,’ so let’s bring it full circle. Total Film throws a spotlight on Jeff Wadlow’s anticipated sequel, which arrives in theaters on Aug. 16. No Kick-Ass in these three new images, but we get Hit-Girl (Chloe Moretz), Col. Stars and Stripes (Jim Carrey) and Kick-Ass’s rival, the Mother F---er (Christopher Mintz-Plasse). Enjoy!

Total Film
Total Film
loading...
loading...
loading...

More From ScreenCrush