Superhero Bits: Iron Man Is Headed To The Library Of Congress, James Gunn Addresses Those Batman Rumors, & More

(Superhero Bits is a collection of stories, updates, and videos about anything and everything inspired by the comics of Marvel, DC, and more. For comic book movies, TV shows, merchandise, events, and whatever catches our eye, this is the place to find anything that falls through the cracks.)

In this edition of Superhero Bits:

• "Iron Man" has received a pretty impressive honor.

• The CW reveals dates for its new and returning DC shows.

• Marvel's "Echo" series has been delayed significantly.

• Clearing up those Batman/DC Universe rumors.

• All that and more!

Even though it looks like the Arrowverse is getting ready to close up shop on The CW, what with the network being sold, it's not over yet! Two of the remaining DC shows on the network have officially locked down premiere dates, with "Superman & Lois" season 3 and the series premiere of "Gotham Knights" both set for March 14, 2023. The only show left hanging right now is "The Flash," which will be packing it in with an abbreviated ninth season. Mark your calendars, DC fans, this could be the end of the road.

You've heard of the Green Goblin and you've heard of the Hobgoblin, but what about the Red Goblin? The latest goblin in the Marvel Comics universe is coming our way in February, with Norman Osborn merging with a symbiote to create something particularly deadly. The series hails from writer Alex Paknadel and artist Jan Bazaldua, spinning directly out of the pages of "Venom." A synopsis for the book reads as follows:

THE NEWEST — AND DEADLIEST — RED GOBLIN! SPINNING OUT OF THE PAGES OF VENOM! Normie Osborn receives his own symbiote at last! As a new Red Goblin, will Normie fulfill his destiny as an Osborn — or will he and his symbiote be able to make a difference for the better?

"Red Goblin" #1 hits shelves on February 8, 2023.

It previously looked like the "Hawkeye" spin-off series "Echo" was slated to arrive on Disney+ in mid-2023, give or take, with a summer debut being eyed. That has changed, as the show has been delayed pretty significantly. This is according to showrunner Marion Dayre, who recently appeared on an episode of The Writers Panel podcast. During the conversation, host Ben Blacker asked about the release date, with Dayre saying, "That will be probably a year from when this comes out." Blacker then expressed his surprise saying, "Oh, are you kidding?! I thought it was like within months ... Geez, I'm sorry." So yeah, a pretty big surprise! Now, this doesn't mean it's time to panic or anything like that, but this is admittedly a hefty delay. Why is it being pushed? That remains unclear. Hopefully, we'll get some more concrete details from Marvel Studios sooner rather than later.

Speaking of "The Flash" season 9, it looks like quite a few guest stars from past Arrowverse shows are going to be getting in on the action. As indicated by the above Instagram post, Nicole Maines has confirmed that Dreamer will appear in the upcoming season. As for how Dreamer will factor into the final season of Barry Allen's adventures? That remains to be seen but, given that Javicia Leslie is also reprising her role as Batwoman following that show's cancellation, there is much to ponder.

We know that a "Fantastic Four" movie reboot is coming to the MCU, but who is going to play Reed Richards? John Krasinski played the part elsewhere in the Marvel multiverse in "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness," but that doesn't mean he's going to be the guy moving forward. To that end, in a recent conversation with The Wrap, the actor/director confirmed that he's had no discussions with Marvel Studios about it — at least not yet.

"There aren't any discussions at all, the only discussion I had was actually in the second-to-last week of 'Jack Ryan.' Kevin Feige called and said would you ever fly to L.A. and play in our sandbox for a day? I was honored to do it. I flew right from Budapest when we wrapped and went right to the 'Doctor Strange' set. I'm a big fan of all those characters and that world, so to get to play in that sandbox for one day was a real thrill."

Odds are, it really was just a one-and-done thing for Krasinski, especially considering that his version of the character was killed pretty brutally by Scarlet Witch. Not to mention that he is busy directing these days, with his upcoming movie "If" firmly in the works, among other things.

Warner Bros. is celebrating a pretty big milestone: 100 years of making movies. That's no small thing and the studio behind "The Wizard of Oz" and many other timeless classics has much to highlight. The above video offers a dizzying look back at those 100 years of cinematic history, both on the big and small screen. Perhaps not surprisingly, that means a great many DC heroes (and villains) appear throughout, including Heath Ledger's Joker from "The Dark Knight," Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman, and even some Arrowverse heroes. Check out the full video for yourself above.

Today kicked off with a pretty intriguing rumor suggesting that DC Studios co-heads James Gunn and Peter Safran were "exploring the possibility of incorporating Matt Reeves and Robert Pattinson's Batman into their wider DC universe." The initial report came from Variety, a generally rock-solid Hollywood trade publication. While it's true that Gunn and Safran are currently laying out their plans for the future of the DCU, it appears as though Battinson is going to stay in his corner all by himself. Gunn, taking to Twitter, debunked the report saying, "This is entirely untrue." To truly ice the cake, "The Batman" director Matt Reeves chimed in and said, "The source I'm really liking on this is Mr. @JamesGunn." So yeah, sounds like the initial report is pretty much dead in the water.

Lastly, the Library of Congress has named the 25 movies that are being added to the National Film Registry for 2022, and none other than "Iron Man" made the cut. These films are deemed to be historically significant and worthy of preservation by the government, so this is no small thing. And, in fairness, 2008's "Iron Man," directed by Jon Favreau and starring Robert Downey Jr., did kick off the biggest franchise in the history of cinema that is still running strong nearly 15 years later. Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige had this to say about it in a statement:

"'Iron Man; was the very first film Marvel Studios independently produced. It was the first film that we had all of the creative control and oversight on and it was really make or break for the studio. All of our favorite movies are the ones that we watch over and over again and that we grow up with. The notion that here we are, almost 15 years after the release of 'Iron Man,' and to have it join the Film Registry tells us it has stood the test of time and that it is still meaningful to audiences around the world."

Looking ahead, 2023 will see "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania," "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3," and "The Marvels" continuing what Tony Stark started a decade and a half ago.