While superhero features have basically been snubbed at the Oscars, at the very least The Avengers walked away with a nod for Best Visual Effects. But regardless, the box office hits that come year after year have fans excited. Especially in the coming months as three familiar heroes return to the big screen in all-new installments. Now as a part of EW's 2013 Preview, three new images have surfaced from major upcoming tentpoles Iron Man 3, Man of Steel and The Wolverine all taking on three themes: romance, action and suspense.
Click each image below for a larger look. For more from EW's 2013 Preview, head on over to EW.com. And for more from each film, pick up the issue on newsstands tomorrow.
Directed by co-writer Shane Black, Iron Man 3 pits brash-but-brilliant industrialist Tony Stark/Iron Man against an enemy whose reach knows no bounds. When Stark finds his personal world destroyed at his enemy’s hands, he embarks on a harrowing quest to find those responsible. This journey, at every turn, will test his mettle.
With his back against the wall, Stark is left to survive by his own devices, relying on his ingenuity and instincts to protect those closest to him. As he fights his way back, Stark discovers the answer to the question that has secretly haunted him: does the man make the suit or does the suit make the man?
Starring Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce, Rebecca Hall, Stephanie Szostak, James Badge Dale with Jon Favreau and Ben Kingsley, Iron Man 3 hits theaters on May 3rd.
Based on the celebrated comic book arc, this epic action-adventure takes Wolverine, the most iconic character of the X-Men universe, to modern day Japan. Out of his depth in an unknown world he faces his ultimate nemesis in a life-or-death battle that will leave him forever changed. Vulnerable for the first time and pushed to his physical and emotional limits, he confronts not only lethal samurai steel but also his inner struggle against his own immortality, emerging more powerful than we have ever seen him before.
Starring Hugh Jackman, Will Yun Lee as villain Kenuichio Harada or as he's best known in the comics The Silver Samurai, Hiroyuki Sanada (Revenge, Lost) as Shingen; veteran actor Hal Yamanouchi (The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou) as Yashida; and new discoveries Tao Okamoto and Rila Fukushima as Mariko and Yukio, respectively, The Wolverine is currently scheduled for a release on July 26th.
In the pantheon of superheroes, Superman is the most recognized and revered character of all time. Clark Kent/Kal-El is a young twenty-something journalist who feels alienated by powers beyond his imagination. Transported years ago to Earth from Krypton, a highly advanced, distant planet, Clark struggles with the ultimate question 'Why am I here?'
Shaped by the values of his adoptive parents Martha and Jonathan Kent, Clark discovers having extraordinary abilities means making difficult decisions. When the world is in dire need of stability, an even greater threat emerges. Clark must become a Man of Steel, to protect the people he loves and shine as the world's beacon of hope - Superman.
Starring Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Michael Shannon, Russell Crowe, Antje Traue, Christopher Meloni, Kevin Costner, Diane Lane, Richard Schiff, and more, while also directed by Zack Snyder, Man of Steel flies into theaters on June 14th.
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