It’s no secret that comic book movies are everywhere. There are multiple shared universes currently vying for box office supremacy, and there’s no signs of them slowing down. But there are some concerns about the genre becoming oversaturated. Are fans tired of superhero movies? The Marvels’ Nia DaCosta and filmmaker James Gunn seem to be on the same page about that concept. Let’s break it all down.
In the MCU alone, every year has multiple movies as well as live-action shows available with a Disney+ subscription. Since there’s also the DCU and other franchises, the conversations about superhero fatigue have been happening a lot– especially considering the disappointing box office performance of projects like Ant-Man 3. The Marvels’ Nia DaCosta recently spoke to our sister site GamesRadar about about this concept, saying:
I think superhero fatigue absolutely exists. The biggest difference from the other MCU movies to date is that [The Marvels is] really wacky, and silly. The worlds we go to in this movie are worlds unlike others you’ve seen in the MCU. Bright worlds that you haven’t seen before.
There you have it. The Candyman filmmaker does indeed think that audiences are experiencing some superhero fatigue. So how does one solve that? According to DaCosta, by having a fresh point of view and something unique from other installments of the genre. For The Marvels, that will be embracing silliness and wackiness, despite the otherwise high stakes of the movie.
Dacosta's The Marvels will serve as a sequel to a number of projects: Captain Marvel, Ms. Marvel, and WandaVision. That’s a lot of moving parts, but Nia DaCosta is also seemingly embracing the fun goofiness that can accompany the genre. This unique vision is something that I thought was missing in Brie Larson’s first solo movie, so I’m hyped for its follow-up movie.
James Gunn has worked in both the DC and Marvel spaces, and is a huge fan of the genre. Gunn was also recently named co-CEO of the DCU, so he remains super invested in all things comic book. He previously spoke to Rolling Stone about the concept of superhero fatigue, saying:
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. 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.
There you have it. Considering James Gunn and Peter Safran are crafting the next decade of DC movies, TV shows, and video games, this perspective is important. Given all the content available for fans, each one needs to be specific, and not just producing content for the sake of making money. It’ll be fascinating to see what Gunn and Safran bring to their new version of the DCU.
The MCU has been experiencing some box office disappointments as of late, with some citing superhero fatigue as the reason. Disney’s Bob Iger hase seemingly blamed the Marvel TV shows for saturating the market. We’ll just have to see if the studio changes its current strategy, or if it’s up to directors to bring something unique to the table.
The Marvels will hit theaters on November 10th. As for the DCU, the next movie hitting theaters is Blue Beetle on August 17th. In the meantime, check out the 2023 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.
