Starting withthe legendary so-bad-it’s-goodHoward the Duckin 1986, Hollywood has been adapting many of Marvel Comics characters and stories into big-screen blockbusters for superhero fans to enjoy. Audiences are typically very intrigued and fascinated by grand stories of superpowered people striving to do the right thing, an exciting concept that rarely fails to be entertaining.
However,for every few Marvel movies that audiences got to see, there were others that never saw the light of day. Whether because the circumstances took a while to become right (like withThe Hands of Shang-Chi: Master of Kung Fu) or because the canceled film’s predecessor was a huge disappointment (like withFant4stic 2), it’s up to fans themselves to judge how tragic it is that they’ll never get to watch these Marvel canceled movies.
10’Silver Surfer'
Canceled Due to the Failure of ‘Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer’
As the first superhero team in Marvel, the Fantastic Four have great historic value. But when Fox tried its hands at a live-action adaptation, the results were underwhelming. Their efforts ended with the failure ofFantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, which was disliked by critics and audiences alike and could barely make back two times its budget at the box office.
Prior to the sequel’s release, Fox was already planning asolo spin-off outing for the Silver Surfer, one of Marvel’s most important and beloved characters. However, when the studio decided thatRise of the Silver Surferhadn’t been enough of a success at the box office,future plans for the franchise — including the proposed spin-off — died immediately. Thoughfans were anticipating a moviebased on one of Marvel’s biggest properties, considering how things worked out with its two predecessors, perhaps it was for the best.
Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer
9’The Hands of Shang-Chi: Master of Kung Fu'
Canceled Because of Funding Difficulties
In 2021, fans were treated toShang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, a delightfully fun martial arts movie that felt like one of the franchise’s most unique offers yet, and undoubtedly one ofthe MCU’s most rewatchable. What many fans don’t know is thatKevin Feige, president of Marvel Studios, has admitted thatMarvel had wanted to make a Shang-Chifilm for years.
At some point in 2001,Stephen Norringtonwas set to direct an adaptation of the character.The project died and got revived a few times over the years, but since Marvel always had a hard time securing funding,The Hands of Shang-Chi: Master of Kung Funever got made. That was the case until fans finally gotSimu Liu’s fantastic take on the hero, which made the wait worth it.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Watch on Disney+
8’Silver and Black'
Canceled to Make Two Solo Films Instead
Black Cat and Silver Sable may not be particularly prominent figures within the Marvel Universe, but for fans of Spider-Man’s gallery of rogues and allies, they are two of the most iconic characters in the Wall Crawler’s mythos. The former is an anti-hero with quite a robust romantic history with Spidey; the latter is a bounty hunter who has crossed paths with the friendly neighborhood superhero on numerous occasions.
Although the pair hadn’t teamed up in the comics before, a film with the two as leads wasannounced in the late 2010salongside the firstVenomwithTom Hardy, andGina Prince-Bythewoodwas set to direct.However, as an increasing number of obstacles were thrown its way, the movie was eventually canceled, Sony meaning to make a pair of solo movies instead. Alas, these never materialized either, so fans of Black Cat and Silver Sable will have to wait a little longer to see these characters on the big screen.
7’Inhumans'
Canceled to Make a TV Show Instead
Although it was set in the MCU, arguably the most popular movie franchise of modern times, most fans might not have seen (or even remember) ABC’sInhumans, a TV show so unsuccessful that it was canceled after just one season. Though it was based on one of Marvel’s most beloved teams, the series is perhaps the weakest ofall the Marvel shows on Disney+.
The story was originallysupposed to be turned into a movie,which most fans agree would have been a much better way to bring these characters into the franchise. Marvel eventually decided it would be less risky to do a television series instead, and the result was sadly underwhelming.
Marvel’s Inhumans
6’Sinister Six'
Canceled Due to the Failure of ‘The Amazing Spider-Man 2’
Fans knew that something very exciting was in the works whenThe Amazing Spider-Man 2not-so-subtly introduced the prospect of the Sinister Six, a team-up of Spider-Man’s mightiest foes, entering the franchise. Even if the film itself wasn’t particularly well-liked at the time (though it has recently seena bit of a resurgence), the idea of having a big screen portrayal of the Wall-Crawler’s most infamous villain team was thrilling.
Sony’s big plans for their interconnected universe includedaSinister Sixmovie byDrew Goddard. However,with the disappointing performance of Andrew Garfield’s second tenure as Spider-Man and the studio completely changing their strategy, the movie never took off. As Sony’s Spider-Man universe continues, there might still be hope for aSinister Sixmovie adaptation, but with the performance of movies likeMadame Web, fans are undoubtedly having second thoughts about whether they want one.
The Amazing Spider-Man 2
5’X-Men Origins: Magneto'
Canceled Due to the Failure of ‘X-Men Origins: Wolverine’
Fox’sX-Menfrom the year 2000 pretty much ignited the flame that became the superhero movie genre in the 21st century. The rest of the franchise had its ups and downs, but one of its lowest downs came in the form ofX-Men Origins: Wolverine, which some would call one ofthe worst spin-off movies ever.
TheX-Men Originsconcept was planned to be expandedbeyond Wolverine’s film. The franchise’s main antagonist, Magneto, was planned to have a solo prequel explaining how he becameIan McKellen’s iconic villain,but due to poor reception ofWolverine, the movie never came to be. Nevertheless, audiences did end up getting a younger version of the character withMichael Fassbenderwearing the helmet, and the result was extraordinary. From the relatively long Marvel canceled movies list, this one at least had a happy ending.
4’Spider-Man 4'
Canceled Due to the Failure of ‘Spider-Man 3’
When it comes to canceled Marvel movies, they hardly get more well-known or tragic than this. Spider-Man has been one of Marvel’s coolest and most beloved characters since his creation, butSam Raimi’sSpider-Mantrilogy made him an even more important part of pop culture, with many superhero fans even daring to call it one ofthe best movie trilogies.
The hero, played byTobey Maguire,had a terrific first two movies that did well with critics and audiences alikeand a third installment that wasn’t quite as successful despite performing well at the box office.Sam Raimi was unhappywith howSpider-Man 3turned out, so he wanted the fourth film to be the best one yet. Sadly, the script never came together, andSony rebooted the franchiseinstead.
Spider-Man 3
3’The Amazing Spider-Man 3'
AlthoughThe Amazing Spider-Manmovies starringAndrew Garfieldin the title role were never as successful as the trilogy that came before them, they certainly had — and still have — their fair share of fans. Particularly as the amount of love for Garfield’s portrayal grows, the canceledThe Amazing Spider-Man 3becomes more and more of a tragic figure in the pantheon of Marvel canceled movies.
The first installment fared relatively well at the box office, but the second one (on top of receiving a mixed reception from audiences and critics alike) didn’t meet Sony’s financial expectations. This,and other issues, led executives to cancel the planned threequel,fire Garfield from the role, and approach Marvel for the MCU plans that audiences are now familiar with.
Canceled After the Disney-Fox Merger
Logan, one of the best genre-bending superhero movies and arguablyJames Mangold’s best film, took the world by storm. It bid a riveting and emotional farewell toHugh Jackman’s legendary portrayal of Wolverine. In it,Dafne Keenplayed X-23, a girl created from Logan’s DNA who accompanied him on his last journey.
Keen’s portrayal of the character was surprisingly nuanced and endearing, leading fans to clamor for more of her. Aspin-off film about X-23was reportedly being considered, but it’s widely accepted that the Disney-Fox deal probably killed the project.Considering how it’s been years and there has been no news about it, it sadly sounds likely that unfortunate circumstances got this Marvel movie canceled.
1’Fant4stic 2'
Canceled Due to the Failure of ‘Fant4stic’
No one expected much fromFantastic Four(styled asFant4stic). But even then, it managed to disappoint fans with its messy story, dull tone, and uninspired take on a team as easy to make entertaining and fun as the Fantastic Four. Getting Marvel movies canceled is a hard thing to do, but a massively disappointing movie that can be considered amongthe worst of the 2010swill certainly do the trick.
The movie underperformed in almost every possible sense,so it was no surprise whenFox announced that plans for a sequelhad been scrapped. With the MCU’s version of the team now well under production, fans can only hope that the movie will turn out much better than previous iterations.
