Superheroes and villains face off for top People's Choice Awards nominations

Blockbusters Deadpool, Captain America: Civil War, and Suicide Squad will battle for the Favorite Movie prize at the 2017 People's Choice Awards.

The comic book movies are all in for a big night at the 43rd annual event, after scoring nominations in the top film category, alongside Finding Dory, and Zootopia.

Deadpool star Ryan Reynolds will compete for Favorite Movie Actor alongside Robert Downey, Jr., Tom Hanks, Will Smith, and Kevin Hart, and Jennifer Lawrence, Margot Robbie, Anna Kendrick, Melissa McCarthy and Scarlett Johansson will go head-to-head for the Favorite Movie Actress title.

The shortlist for Favorite Movie Icon features Denzel Washington, Johnny Depp, Samuel L. Jackson, Tom Cruise, and Tom Hanks.

In the TV categories, The Big Bang Theory, Grey's Anatomy, Outlander, Stranger Things, and The Walking Dead are all up for Favorite TV Show, while the Favorite Network TV Comedy competition includes Modern Family, The Big Bang Theory, and Jane the Virgin. And comedy acting nods have gone to the likes of Matthew Perry, Anthony Anderson, Jim Parsons, Sofia Vergara, Gina Rodriguez, and Kaley Cuoco.

Empire, Grey's Anatomy, How to Get Away with Murder, Chicago Fire, and Quantico are in the running for Favorite Network TV Drama, with dramatic acting nominations for Kerry Washington, Viola Davis, Scott Foley, Taylor Kinney, Taraji P. Henson, and her Empire co-star Terrence Howard, among others.

Meanwhile, in the music categories, The Weeknd will face off against Justin Timberlake, Drake, Blake Shelton, and Shawn Mendes for Favorite Male Artist, and Adele, Beyonce, Rihanna, Britney Spears, and Ariana Grande will fight for Favorite Female Artist.

Zayn Malik will compete against his former One Direction bandmate Niall Horan for Favorite Breakout Artist, alongside DNCE, Alessia Cara, and The Chainsmokers, who are also up for Favorite Group, against Coldplay, Fifth Harmony, Panic! at the Disco, and Twenty One Pilots.

The Favorite Pop Artist shortlist is made up of Adele, Britney Spears, Sia, Justin Timberlake, and Ariana Grande, while Kendrick Lamar, Kanye West, and Wiz Khalifa are among the contenders for Favorite Hip-Hop Artist. Drake was left out of that category, but he is a frontrunner in the Favorite R&B Artist group, which also features his on/off girlfriend Rihanna, Beyonce, Usher, and The Weeknd.

The nominations for the awards, the only ones in which fans vote for all categories, were announced on Tuesday (15Nov16). The winners will be announced in a ceremony in Los Angeles on 18 January (17).