If you thought the world was slowly getting over the immense gluttony of superhero movies, think again. James Gunn and Peter Safran are ushering in their very own DC Universe, promising more big budget genre flicks for years to come.
In 2021 and 2022, Hollywood reached the pinnacle of superhero movie saturation, releasing nine films each year. The genre continues to be a cornerstone of the industry, and we’re only going to see more comic book movies. For instance, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is introducing fans to the all-new Fantastic Four. And, of course, look no further than the all-new DC Universe.
The term ‘superhero fatigue’ has been thrown around for years at this point. It references the idea that audiences will tire of superhero stories. While fatigue has been proven in some aspects, such as numerous underperforming films, like Kraven the Hunter and Madame Web, the genre continues to churn out billion-dollar pictures. Most recently was Deadpool & Wolverine, which garnered $1.338 billion at the box office.
“I think there is such a thing as superhero fatigue. I think it doesn’t have anything to do with superheroes. It has to do with the kind of stories that get to be told, and if you lose your eye on the ball, which is character,” Gunn told Rolling Stone in 2023. “We love Superman. We love Batman. We love Iron Man. Because they’re these incredible characters that we have in our hearts. And if it becomes just a bunch of nonsense onscreen, it gets really boring.”
In a more recent interview on the “Inside of You” podcast, the filmmaker further explained how studios have become lazy in their approach to superhero movies nowadays:
“People have gotten really lazy with their superhero stories. And they have gotten to the place where, ‘Oh, it’s a superhero, let’s make a movie about it.’ And then, ‘Oh, let’s make a sequel, because the first one did pretty well,’ and they aren’t thinking about, ‘Why is this story special? What makes this story stand apart from other stories? What is the story at the heart of it all? Why is this character important? What makes this story different that it fills a need for people in theaters to go see?'”
Superman opens in theatres on July 11.
Robert Kirkman doesn’t believe in superhero fatigue, but has worries.
As it happens, a few months back another prolific superhero storyteller in the industry, Robert Kirkman, also weighed in on the impact of superhero fatigue. The creator of Invincible, Kirkman’s superhero series is one of the hottest genre properties in the world right now.
“I don’t think superhero fatigue is a real thing, but I do think that the genre of superhero storytelling has become so ubiquitous that it’s gotten to a point where it’s not fresh and it’s not new,” he told Variety “You can’t just be a superhero show and not have anything special about you anymore because I think the novelty has worn off. But that’s really exciting to me, because now it means that everyone is so familiar with superheroes that you can push things in interesting directions.”
If any superhero show is doing it differently nowadays, it’s Invincible. The series takes everything you love about superhero storytelling, and flips it on its head. The show is currently in its third season, and it’s still getting overwhelmingly positive review. Kirkman has previously stated that the series could run for upwards of 8 seasons, and we are here for it!
