Actually, the news isn’t nearly so dire. While 2010 only offers one major Marvel movie release – Iron Man 2, the one film on the list that wasn’t shifted in the schedule – 2011 will see not one, not two, but three major releases from May to July.  Talk about packing a punch. The only downside is that The Avengers is now coming out in 2012.

Here’s the Marvel movie release schedule for its comic book adaptations:

• Iron Man 2 – May 7, 2010
• Spider-Man 4 – May 6, 2011
• Thor - June 17, 2011
• The First Avenger: Captain America – July 22, 2011
• The Avengers – May 4, 2012
• Venom – TBA
• X-Men Origins: Wolverine 2 – TBA
• Deadpool – TBA

I’m pumped for Iron Man 2. Despite the bitter twist that still lingers at the back of my throat from the third movie, Spider-Man 4 is unquestionably a good idea. Thor, however… really? I just don’t see how this movie will end up working – in a day and age where the darker and grittier superhero flicks are all the rage, it’s hard to picture a movie about a shirtless, Fabio-esque God being any good. Captain America has much more potential, but please, please, please get rid of that “The First Avenger” part of the title. The Avengers also has potential… though we have yet to see a superhero team consisting of a bunch of characters with their own movies. How this one will play out is anyone’s guess at this point.

You can view upcoming DC Comics movie release dates here.

21, starring Kevin Spacey, Kate Bosworth and that guy from Across the Universe, is about a group of students (lead by their teacher, Spacey) who decide to rip off some Las Vegas casinos by counting cards. Of course, their greed gets the better of them and things spiral out of control. I’m not always a huge fan of gambling movies, but when done right, they can be very good (Rounders, anyone?). Mainly, I want to see this movie for the fact that Bosworth looks hot in it, but one should not discount the talented cast involved.

Run, Fatboy, Run is the long delayed Simon Pegg comedy. The release date delay is worrisome, and after seeing the trailer over and over again when it was originally slated for the fall, I haven’t seen much promotion, if any, in recent months (though, admittedly, I haven’t been going to see much of the garbage in theaters – and I fast forward through TV commercials). Regardless, Pegg is on a roll (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz) and Run, Fatboy, Run looks pretty funny.

Stop-Loss is an Iraq war drama about a young man (Ryan Phillippe) who returns home from war only to find that the military has decided to send him right back. Not happy about the fact that he has to leave his girlfriend (wife?), he considers going AWOL to Canada. Some people aren’t big fans of Phillippe, but I think he’s actually a pretty good actor given the right material, and Stop-Loss could be right up his alley. The marketing team has also done a great job with an excellent trailer that strikes upon the themes of the film. Considering that other, bigger Iraq-themed films have flopped over the last year, I wouldn’t expect this one to stick around for too long – but it has the potential to be good.

The last of the movies is Superhero Movie, but, considering this spoof is from the same group of people that have created some of the worst movies in recent memory (Epic Movie and Date Movie), I would not go see this film if my life depended on it. In fact, if you go and see this film, you are supporting the creation of more terrible spoofs in the years to come.

View other recent movie releases.