A historic comic book movie dry spell is taking place for the first time in 25 years, with the longest gap without a Marvel or DC superhero movie of the modern era. Since 2008, fans have enjoyed a steady rollout of superheroes on the big screen. Every few months, there was always something to look forward to, whether it was the MCU, DCEU, Fox universe, or Sony's Spider-Man movies.
However, that is about to change (at least for now), as after Fantastic Four: First Steps, the genre will shut things down for the most extended break between releases since Iron Man came to theaters in 2008. The gap between Fantastic Four and the next comic book movie, 2026's Supergirl, will be nearly a year, coming in at 336 days.
This marks the first time in over 25 years that the gap between the releases of live-action DC or Marvel superhero movies has been over 300 days. For a gap this long, across live-action superhero franchises, fans have to go back to the turn of the century, as the break between the first X-Men film and Blade II was 615 days. However, that was simply a different time in the comic book movie genre, as DC did not release a new movie based on its characters for several years in the late 90s and early 2000s.
To put it plainly, when considering every major superhero brand, this is the first time in the past quarter century the genre will go nearly a year without a new release. There have, however, been longer breaks between specific franchise releases since then.
This upcoming break between Fantastic Four: First Steps and 2026's Spider-Man: Brand New Day (371 days) stands as one of the longest gaps in MCU history, but not the longest. That honor belongs to the dry spell between Spider-Man: Far From Home and Black Widow, which leads the franchise at 738 days (largely thanks to the emergence of the global COVID-19 pandemic).
If you wanted to count just Marvel overall, that gap is significantly shortened, though, as New Mutants came out between Far From Home and Black Widow, bringing the break between Marvel movies down to 423 days.
Looking at the DC side of the equation, the break between Superman and Supergirl is 332 days. Previously, the longest gap (post-2008) between DC films was between Justice League and Aquaman, which totaled 399 days.
Luckily for fans, this dry spell of super-powered movie releases is only a temporary measure. That time between feature films will be filled with streaming shows set in these comic book universes, like the upcoming Marvel Zombies, Batman: Caped Crusader, and Wonder Man. Marvel and DC's big-screen efforts will continue next year, with Supergirl coming out on July 26, 2026, and Spider-Man: Brand New Day on July 31, 2026.
The Comic Book Movie Break Might Be Good
Looking at the calendar, comic book movie fans may get worried, knowing it will be almost a year before they get their next costumed fix on the big screen; however, it may ultimately be a good thing for the genre overall.
In recent years, whether it be Marvel or DC, the idea of superhero fatigue has been a common conversation point. As these comic book movies have failed to reach the financial heights of the mid-2010s, some have started to blame the fact that perhaps audiences are growing tired of the genre.
So, what better time for Marvel and DC to take a break? The general viewing audience has taken superhero movies for granted. They have lost that 'it's an event' luster they carried for so many years.
Roman poet Sextus Propertius is attributed as saying, "distance makes the heart grow fonder," and that is precisely what needs to happen for general audiences and the comic book movie genre. By taking nearly a year off, moviegoers will have a chance to breathe and start to actually miss comic book movies again.
Then Marvel and DC can come back firing on all cylinders with big-name releases like Supergirl, Spider-Man 4, and (of course) Avengers: Doomsday in the second half of 2026.
If all three of these projects hit, the genre will officially be back, putting its best foot forward for even more future releases.
