2016 will be a super year for superhero movie franchises

In all of Hollywood history, there have been 139 comic book adaptations to the silver screen. It only seems as if that many will be released in the next two years.

The reason for the surge? Success.

Let's start with the enormous success of Deadpool, one of the Top 10 Marvel-based films ever as far as tickets sold, and which is still going strong in theaters.

The long-predicted "superhero fatigue" not only hasn't materialized, there's also no sign of it on the horizon. Deadpool is just one indication that 2016 will be an adrenaline shot to the comic-lover's heart, as studios release more superhero films than ever before. Save some popcorn for 2017 and 2018, too.

With the success of the Merc With a Mouth's solo film debut (and an almost guaranteed sequel), 20th Century Fox is looking to fully exploit its rights to Marvel Comics' mutant X-Verse. Jennifer Lawrence, Michael Fassbender, and a perfect mix of well-known characters with fresh faces - any of whom could be spun off into solo films or other teams - arrive May 27 in the epic X-Men: Apocalypse.

This may be the last of a trilogy of films starring Lawrence and company, though perhaps not the last of Lawrence's character, the blue-skinned, shape-shifting Mystique (see below).

Gambit, with Channing Tatum as the X-Man, was pushed from this year to next following the departure of director Rupert Wyatt (Rise of the Planet of the Apes). Also due in 2017 is the not-yet-officially-titled Wolverine 3.

Though Hugh Jackman's last film starring as Wolverine got a mixed reception, the fact that he has said this will be his last appearance as the character after an amazing, 17-year run should make the film a true event.

Toss in untitled X-films on the schedule for Oct. 6, 2017, and in 2018 for Jan. 12 and July 13. Add Fox's reported interest in a solo Mystique film starring Lawrence, an X-Force film, and the all-but-certain Deadpool 2, and it's clear the studio is just getting warmed up with its X-Men franchises.

Oh, and a sequel to Kingsman: The Secret Service, from the Icon Comics series, is scheduled to hit screens June 16, 2017. All this should more than make up for the almost certainly dead Fantastic Four franchise for Fox after its 2015 flop reboot.

Batman v Superman: The Dawn of Justice broke March box-office records this weekend with a $170 million domestic take, but the question remains - following mostly negative reviews - whether the franchise has the legs of some of its rivals.

Although 11 more films in the DC movie universe are supposedly coming, only three have been put on the schedule: the risky Suicide Squad for Aug. 5, Wonder Woman for June 23, 2017 and Justice League Part One on Nov. 17, 2017.

If audiences aren't thrilled with the gritty tone of Batman v Superman, or Gal Gadot's take on Wonder Woman, or the brief glimpses we get of Ezra Miller's Flash or Jason Mamoa's Aquaman, that could spell trouble for tentative plans Warner Bros. has for 2018 to 2020 releases for films including Justice League Part Two, Aquaman, The Flash, Cyborg and Green Lantern Corps.

Last week, tickets started to sell briskly for Marvel Studios' Captain America: Civil War, which has Marvel's two most popular solo film heroes - Cap and Iron Man - going at it, plus other favorites such as Black Widow and the Winter Soldier. It will drop May 6 and also will feature the long-awaited debut of the Black Panther and the first appearance of Spider-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

This film could do Avengers numbers, which would keep the franchise going forward as it balances new faces with old, starting with Doctor Strange on Nov. 4; Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 on May 5, 2017; Thor: Ragnarok on Nov. 3, 2017, and Black Panther on Feb. 16, 2018.

Looking way ahead, all these releases lead up to two anticipated films that will star virtually every character Marvel has put on screen, possibly even those from their TV shows: Avengers: Infinity War Part I, scheduled for May 4, 2018, and Avengers: Infinity War Part 2, which opens May 3, 2019.

In 2018 and 2019, Marvel fans can also look forward to Ant-Man and the Wasp, the studio's first solo film with a female lead, Captain Marvel, and Inhumans, along with three more, as-yet untitled Marvel films scheduled for May 1, July 10, and Nov. 6 of 2020.

Sony has had problems recently with its Spider-Man franchise, but with the character's appearance in Civil War, a new, younger actor, Tom Holland, under the mask and Marvel head honcho Kevin Feige helping to produce, the character should have reinvigorated interest by the time his new solo film hits on July 7, 2017. The studio still wants to expand its Spidey universe with films featuring Venom, Spider-Gwen, and others, but nothing has been confirmed.

Likewise, Sony has said it wants to create another mini-universe for 2017 starring the popular Valiant Comics characters Bloodshot and Harbinger. Sony is promising two solo films for each, culminating in a film called Harbinger Wars, but no actors have been cast and nothing's on the production schedule yet.