James Whitbrook is the Deputy Editor of io9, where you can often find him writing about Stars of the Wars and Trek varieties, as well as toys, superheroes, games, and more. You can follow his coverage here, and email tips to[emailprotected].The Top Story Even withDeadpool & Wolverine making over a billion dollars at the box office and the likes ofX-Men 97and The Penguin garnering critical acclaim, 2024 was seen as a bit of a quiet year for superhero adaptations, as DC Studios quietly tinkered away at its retooled future and Marvel reckoned with the potential that audiences just werent investing in its post-Endgame plans. But if a very good year overall for the big two was quiet, 2025 is shaping up to beextremely loud, as Disney and Warner put their faiths in takes on some of the most iconic DC and Marvel heroes of all time inthe one-two punch of James Gunns Supermanwhich took the internet by storm when its trailer dropped last monthand Matt ShakmansFantastic Four: First Steps, the first reboot of Marvels premiere superhero family to be made under the direct control of Marvel Studios. Currently theyre slated to arrive in just a few weeks of each other this July, giving us a superhero summer unlike any othershould they match their lofty expectations, that is.What Were Waiting For IfSuperman andFirst Steps are the big movies of 2025and not the only ones, considering weve also got Captain America: Brave New World next month, andThunderbolts in May from Marvelthen TV is going to be the dominant force for superheroes this year. DCs traditionally been the stronger of the two on that front in recent years, and 2025 will have a good showing with the return of Peacemaker in the summer and the impending arrival this month of the latest season of Harley Quinn. But Marvel is hoping to have a huge 2025 on the small screen too, with animation like this monthsFriendly Neighborhood Spider-Manand Eyes of Wakanda later in the year. Its big hopes on that front however, lie in two more live-action pillars in the form of Ironheart, the continuation of Riri Williams adventures as the MCUs latest young hero after her debut in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, and one of the studios most anticipated shows of its whole Disney+ slate:Daredevil: Born Again, coming this March, a continuation/soft reset of the beloved Netflix adaptation that helped shoot Marvels TV ambitions into the stratosphere a decade ago. Its not just film and TV to get excited about, though. On the comics front, DCs launch of the Absolute Universe line is off to an incredibly strong start with its re-imagined take on the trinity, and its set to get even bigger with the arrivals ofAbsolute Flash,Absolute Martian Manhunter, andAbsolute Green Lanternthis spring. Marvels big comic book ambitions this year are talking a page out of theAvengers: Doomsday hype withOne World Under Doom, its latest event series that will see Victor Von Doom ascend as the latest bearer of the Sorcerer Supremes mantle. And of course, theres games: DCs pretty quiet on that front after the public failure ofSuicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, but while Marvel got a huge boost on the gaming front late last year withMarvel Rivals (its new season is set to add the Fantastic Four this month), were also looking forward to news from long-gestating projects like InsomniacsWolverine game or the period Captain America/Black Panther team-up Marvel 1943.Unconventional Wisdom Much of the success of the superhero movie boom across the past 15+ years has been driven by a sense of specific interconnectednessbut even with the multiversal crossover concept broadening that to massive success in recent years, its beginning to feel like which story is connected to what universe matters a lot less than it used to, and thats only going to keep growing even as we see the big two building to big climaxes in their respective superhero universes. The success of The Batman andThe Penguin even without any planned tie-over into DC Studios broader plansas well as Gunns explicit intent to create a universe where not only can multiple versions of a continuity can exist simultaneously, but also give a prime universe that is less interested about establishing originsand Marvels increasingly lassez-faire approach to the exact chronology of the MCU is somewhat exciting, especially as it begins to leverage animation more and give us new spins on non-MCU takes on the likes of Spidey and the X-Men. After years of it mattering the most, maybe everything doesnt need to be all connected. Longshot Bets Looking ahead, 2025 will be an important year for Marvel and DC alike, but fans are always yearning for whats next even with major projects on the horizon. With Superman andFirst Steps out of the way in July, maybe itll be time for us to start learning about both studios plans for the next big chapters of their movie timelines: whatever approach Brave and the Bold will take bringing a new Batman to live-action, and Marvel Studios ever-brewing plans for its first crack at a live-action X-Men. Its going to be a big summer with all eyes on SDCC, even after weve feasted on the treats to come.That, or maybe this year well actually get another attempted release date forBeyond the Spider-Verse. A webhead can dream, right? Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, whats next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.