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"Wolverine" has already garnered much press for its troubled shoot, and the trailers make it look, like "Last Stand," heavy on the action and light on the smarts. We'll be glad to see Hugh Jackman get back to an earlier, more menacing Logan, and it could be fun to see mutants like Deadpool, the Blob and Gambit on the screen, but let's hope Fox doesn't mutate this franchise into something unrecognizable.

"Iron Man 2" (Summer 2010)
Until "The Dark Knight" swung onto the scene, "Iron Man" was the best comic-based movie in several years, replacing the disappointment of other recent flicks with the giddy sense of fun that got us into the books in the first place. Much of the credit goes to Downey Jr.'s outstanding performance and Favreau's zippy, confident direction. So now what? Both are coming back, and enough groundwork has been laid with hints about Tony's drinking and the Ten Rings terrorist cartel for us to predict that "Iron Man 2" will feature our hero battling both the bottle and the deadly supervillain the Mandarin. Yes, there was a little public negotiating between Favreau and the studio, and Tony's best friend will now be Don Cheadle instead of Terrence Howard, but nevertheless, fire up the jet propulsors -- we're there opening night.

"Spider-Man 4" (Summer 2010)
It's a little strange to hear calls for a "reboot" on a series that's not even 10 years old, but it may not seem that unlikely after the mess that was "Spider-Man 3." However, we won't be getting that much of a major revamp, since director Sam Raimi and stars Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst are all returning for a fourth and possibly fifth entry. So what's the webslinging crew to do? Raimi should get back to the rule he broke in the third movie -- no more than one villain per episode -- and get Maguire focused on the joy of being Spider-Man again. No matter how big the effects or how outrageous the baddie, it all comes down to the storytelling web that Raimi and company weave (and Sam, we'd like to see the Lizard in this one).

"The Incredible Hulk" (?)
Now that the dust has settled, we think it can safely be said that this year's "The Incredible Hulk" was, in the end, not that much better than 2003's original "Hulk." The former's mindless action and the latter's excitement-starved braininess more or less canceled each other out. So why can't anyone get the not-so-jolly green giant right? Well, it seems to be the source material itself: When your hero is a huge, inarticulate beast, it's hard to engage audiences beyond the video game thrills of fighting, well, another huge, inarticulate beast. One suggestion we like: Forget giving the Hulk his own movies and make him the random element -- the weapon of mass destruction -- in a movie where other heroes take center stage. Which leads us to ...

"The Avengers" (Summer 2011)
The fan universe let out a collective yelp of joy when Marvel Studios announced that its forthcoming slate of pictures -- "Iron Man 2," "Captain America" and "Thor" -- would culminate in 2011 with their first big-screen teaming. The studio has been cleverly planting the seeds already, putting Avengers leader Nick Fury in the first "Iron Man" and having both Tony Stark and Captain America (in a deleted scene) make cameos in "The Incredible Hulk." But will the popular and long-running comic book team work onscreen? And can Marvel align the planets so that the actors -- Robert Downey Jr. and whoever will be playing Cap, Thor, and Hulk at that point -- are all available? It's a tricky balancing act that could either pay off in the most spectacular comic book mash-up ever or end up like (please, no) the Fantastic Four.

"Batman 3" (Summer 2011?)
After two outstanding installments, the "Batman" franchise is now clearly the 800-pound flying rodent in the comic movie universe, and rightfully so. But with the stakes now raised beyond any reasonable expectations, what can director Nolan do for an encore? Well, first, he has to come back: Nolan has not decided whether he wants to make a follow-up to "The Dark Knight." If he does sign up for "Batman 3," does a different actor play the Joker? Does he look to reinvent a new villain in the same gritty fashion? That could mean a "yes" on more "realistic" evildoers, like Catwoman, Penguin or Black Mask, and a "no" on less plausible ones, like Mr. Freeze, Clayface and Killer Croc. Most importantly, where does the story take the Caped Crusader as a character? And if the Dark Knight returns without Nolan ... nah, let's not even go there yet.

"Justice League" (2010?)
Let's be frank: A "Justice League" movie is a terrible idea -- at least the way that Warner Bros. has envisioned it. While the Marvel movies are finding ways to interconnect and build to an "Avengers" showdown, Warner (which owns DC Comics, home of the Justice League) wants to do a sort of teen Justice League movie, casting younger actors as Batman and Superman, along with Wonder Woman, Green Lantern and the others. That not only takes it a step back into kiddieland, but creates brand confusion with the existing Batman and Superman franchises (Christopher Nolan is not too keen on it, from what we hear). Advice to Warner: Keep Nolan happy and working on his "Batman," find a way to do a sexy, adult, empowered "Wonder Woman," and figure out -- again -- how to revitalize "Superman." Speaking of which ...

"Superman: The Man of Steel" (2011?)
We've written before about the disappointment of 2006's "Superman Returns," but to recap: Director Bryan Singer just seemed to remake portions of the original "Superman" while adding little that was new, Brandon Routh failed to make a strong impression as the Man of Steel, and Lex Luthor has worn out his welcome as a villain. Comics writer Mark Millar ("Wanted," "Kick-Ass") has recently expressed interest in writing a new, ultra-dark "Superman" trilogy, but we've got plenty of brooding already with our pal in Gotham City. So once again, if anyone's listening: Find a new director, find an older, more majestic star, and make a glorious spectacle about a bright, determined Superman battling a cosmic menace. We'll believe a man can fly ... again.

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What superhero franchise gets you excited? What would you like to see made into a movie? Write us at heymsn@microsoft.com

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Don Kaye's first comic book purchase when he was a kid was "Giant-Sized Shazam," and he read it over and over until it fell apart.