Superhero Fatigue
How to save a film genre
If money could talk, it would say, "People are tired of superhero movies."
The 12th installment in the loosely-connected DC Extended Universe (which will no longer exist in its current form come the end of 2023), Shazam! Fury of the Gods, has garnered $101 million worldwide at the time of writing. The film's budget of $110-125 million still hasn't been made back, let alone the tens of millions of dollars that were spent on advertising the movie. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania has fared a bit better, currently sitting at a pretty $469.7 million at the box office against a $200 million budget. Even so, for something as once-massive as the Marvel Cinematic Universe—and for a film that was advertised as being a central part of its Multiverse Saga—the movie hasn't gained as much a profit at the box office as it may have just a few short years ago.
This seems to be a running trend with superhero movies in the last few years. While some fingers could be pointed at the Covid-19 pandemic for the box office failures of Wonder Woman 1984, Black Widow, and Eternals (and the underperformance of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings), it doesn't explain how Spider-Man: No Way Home garnered a whopping $1.9 billion despite being released in the same time frame as the previous films mentioned. While the MCU was able to come back from their stagnation despite underperforming box office numbers from Thor: Love and Thunder last year, the DCEU has continued to flounder. The Suicide Squad became a streaming hit, but it underperformed at the box office, likely because it was available on the same day on streaming as it was in theaters. Black Adam was also, surprisingly, a box office failure despite its $393 million gross against a $260 million budget. Mostly because of advertisement costs.
Despite some successes last year like Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, the superhero genre as a whole has suffered a general loss of interest from the public, if box office numbers are anything to go by. Much like the Westerns of old, superheroes' time in the limelight appears to be reaching its end. There may not be a notably strong drop in interest for another few years, but recent box office performances indicate that the days of $1 billion super hero films are going to be few and far between in the future. Yes, some like Spider-Man: No Way Home will still be exceptions. But it seems those kinds of successes are going to be reserved for either popular characters, or for crossover event films.
But just because people are tired of superheroes doesn't mean the genre itself is going to go away. If anything, it appears to be evolving with different ideas being explored through the lens of superheroes. Take The Batman, for instance. While the film could have followed the cookie-cutter formulas and humor-filled self-awareness of many other modern superhero films, The Batman instead carved out its own identity. It pulled inspiration from the original Detective Comics. It was dark and brooding, yet carried a message about the unintended consequences spreading a message of vengeance can have. It was a Batman origin story unlike anything that had been put on the big screen before. And it worked, critically and financially, setting up its own universe of Batman-related tales that will retain a separate identity from James Gunn's upcoming DC Universe.
If superhero films truly want to survive audience boredom and the oncoming fatigue, they'll need to hold themselves to the regard that The Batman does. I'm not saying every superhero film needs to start taking itself seriously or have a larger message about the world. But they need to stop being thought of as light shows with explosions and punches. While there are plenty of older films such as Iron Man, Captain America: The First Avenger, and Sam Rami's Spider-Man trilogy that understood the "roller coaster" appeal of superheroes, they still managed to encompass serious themes as well. Many people are attending superhero films to see the good guys beat the bad guys, but the narrative, characterization, and thematic ideas compliment the film. Bolster the movie to make it more than mindless popcorn drivel.
The best way to reengage audiences with superheroes is to make their stories come first.
It's fine for studios to dream up big action sequences with comic book characters everyone is familiar with. Or use battles with villains as a way to introduce lesser-known heroes to the wider world. But without a strong story, central themes, and good characterization, the film will become nothing but a thrill ride. And sure, who doesn't like a good roller coaster? But that drop is going to be so much more satisfying if the climb up is as high as the tracks can reach. If anything, the strength of a superhero film's story and characters only make the flashy, computer-generated third acts all the more satisfying to watch play out. Because now the audience is invested in the story in a way that no amount of special effects could ever hope to replicate.
It seems that there's been a push from Marvel and DC in particular as of late to get as much shared universe superhero material out as fast as possible. This year will see 4 DC films and 3 Marvel movies, alongside at least 2 Disney+ shows that tie into the larger MCU. DC will be going full steam ahead with its revamped DC Universe next year, which will retain an unspecified number of elements pertaining to the existing DCEU. Though unconfirmed, Gunn's announcement of the first part of "Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters" seemed to indicate that 5 movies and 5 TV series, all part of an interconnected universe, are expected to be out between 2024 and 2026, with the bulk of them coming out in 2025. While Gunn is a visionary that clearly cares about comic book stories and heroes, the amount of content expected to be released in what's likely a short, 3-year window is daunting more than it is exciting.
Marvel seems to have recognized this to some extent. While they want to maintain their status in the public eye by having new releases as much as they can, they've realized after pumping out Phase 4 in just under 2 years that the overwhelming amount of content isn't going to translate to the profits they want. There was always going to be a dropoff after Avengers: Endgame, but instead of addressing this by continuing to put out quality films twice or thrice a year, Marvel instead tried to pump out as much as they could. Whether it was to make the MCU a continual, always-existing experience, or if it was an attempt at recouping money they knew would vanish after the end of Phase 3 isn't clear. But they realized rather quickly that inundating audiences with superhero story after superhero story would cheapen the value and risk the story not being as good as it could be.
So, they've started to cut back. Instead of releasing three films and five shows all in the same year, the number of series have been cut down to at least two. Maybe more, but as it stands, two appears to be the golden number. The Marvels' release date was also postponed to November, giving Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 a little time to breathe at the theaters before people jump to the next film. Though it may take some time given the feast of already-produced content they've promised their viewers, the MCU has the potential to combat superhero fatigue by simply creating meaningful stories. Different tales that, while interconnected in the same universe, don't all feel the same. The formulas superhero movies have been coasting on for the last few years is starting to stagnate. The well is running dry. If something doesn't change, no one will be interested in the deep cuts into comics that the MCU and developing DCU are starting to pursue. Which is why time must be taken to carefully construct something new and inventive, yet still engaging and fun.
Superhero movies are going through a rough patch right now. They're not as enticing or special or all around as good as they've been in the past. But that doesn't mean they can't improve, and it doesn't mean all of them have failed. It also doesn't mean people shouldn't enjoy them if they aren't bothered by their current quality. Even The Walking Dead's audience has plenty of dedicated fans, all of whom love the show even when its newer seasons get criticized (even some of those critics are fans, like me). But the only way for superhero movies to continue to justify their existences financially is if they evolve. The Batman, Joker, and even Guardians of the Galaxy all prove that superhero stories don't need to fit into a box of expectations. They can explore different themes, present themselves in different ways, and send a message to the audience that's unlike anything another superhero story could send.
The best way to improve superhero films and reverse the growing stagnation and fatigue is to stop treating superheroes like formulas, and instead treat them like a genre. Show the world a type of superhero story they've never seen before, instead of relying on comedy and flashy battles alone. Give the film heart, weight, character. Make it something the world has never seen before. Take time to ensure that everything in the film feels like it belongs on a movie screen, and not on a toy company's conveyor belt. Give the films the love and adoration they deserve when making them not into products, but into stories that come from the depths of a creator's soul.
Make money say "I love superhero movies" again.
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