Over the years, the shift of perception for superhero content has seen a downward trend of excitement from the public. Studios that once had people fill up entire theatres for their releases are now struggling to replicate that kind of success. People often speculate that the superhero genre is over-saturated as of late, and the fatigue of so many movies and shows has finally caught up with the audience. However, my personal experiences and fluctuations in the box office make me think that superhero fatigue is not to blame.
Let us use the film Thunderbolts as an example. Although the movie underperformed compared to other Marvel features, it still did reasonably well and garnered mostly positive feedback. Many people are excited to see James Gunn’s Superman movie, which is mind-blowing for a character who was once thought to be boring in previous portrayals. In truth, the superhero genre is a fantastic vehicle for storytelling. There are countless opportunities to explore and expand the basic premise of someone with superhuman abilities and how they choose to use them.
So, if people are not tired of superheroes, then why isn’t it like it was a few years ago? The answer is not the genre of these films, but the quality of them. For a while, many of these films have been plagued with poor CGI, terrible writing, and many other issues. Marvel has been in a rut ever since Avengers: Endgame and DC movies have had a bad reputation for quite some time. It seems that the people behind these films today are not superhero fans themselves and only see the profits that can be made.
The future of this genre rests squarely on the shoulders of the few who respect these kinds of movies for what they can be.
