MCU Director Believes 'Captain Marvel 2' Will End Superhero Fatigue

With dozens of Disney+ TV series, specials, and an extensive “Multiverse Saga” on the horizon, it’s no wonder that audiences are starting to become weary of superhero giants like Marvel. But according to The Marvels (2023) director Nia DaCosta, her upcoming movie might just bring an end to viewers’ growing disdain for the genre once and for all.

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So far, 2023 is shaping up to be a big year at the box office. But even though ticket sales for original IPs like Pixar’s Elemental (2023), Angel Studios’ Sound of Freedom (2023), and the affectionally-dubbed “Barbenheimer” double feature have been through the roof, it’s impossible to ignore one thing: sequels, remakes, and, specifically, superhero blockbusters are dominating the summer box office yet again.

Out of the 20 top-earning cinematic releases of 2023 thus far, 14 fall into one of these three categories, with four being superhero movies: Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023), Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023), and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023) coming out of Marvel’s camp, and DC’s The Flash (2023) trailing close behind.

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It’s only natural that highly-anticipated, big-budget crowd-pleasers like Spider-Verse would draw in audiences, though other moviegoers less invested in the MCU and DCEU are quickly becoming disillusioned, pointing out the disturbing trend of virtually no preexisting IPs snagging spots in the list of 2023’s top-grossing films.

With the superhero genre all but saturating the market, even staunch defenders of Marvel are noticing a visible drop in quality in recent years, with the studio focused on expanding their catalog of Disney+ originals. Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Iger addressed fans’ concerns in an interview last month, during which he announced that the studio would cut back on the flood of Marvel movies and series as they “diluted focus and attention” away from, frankly, more important projects.

Coming off its lackluster Secret Invasion show, which earned the unfortunate title of worst-rated MCU show of all time, it’s becoming clear that Marvel needs to reevaluate their release strategy—and soon. And believe it or not, the answer might lie in the upcoming sequel to one of Marvel’s most highly-divisive movies to date: The Marvels.

Picking up after the events of Avengers: Endgame (2019), The Marvels will see Brie Larson reprising her role as Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel as she attempts to get to the bottom of a strange mystery that has left her light-based powers intertwined with Ms. Marvel‘s Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani) and WandaVision‘s Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris). Together, the three high-flying heroes will have to team up to fix this bizarre phenomenon, all while going up against the villainous Kree warrior, Dar-Benn (Zawe Ashton).

Speaking with Total Film Magazine in a recent interview, director Nia DaCosta acknowledged the superhero fatigue plaguing the industry, but claimed that the Captain Marvel sequel might just be the exception. Unlike more tonally-serious releases like Endgame or even James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy threequel, DaCosta claimed that her film stands apart from other MCU installments thanks to its lightheartedness, best exemplified through the Freaky Friday-esque body-switching at the heart of the story.

DaCosta remarked that her directorial Marvel debut is “really wacky and silly,” and claimed that The Marvels will feature various planets and locations across the cosmos that are “unlike others you’ve seen in the MCU:”

I think superhero fatigue absolutely exists. The biggest difference from the other MCU movies to date is that it’s 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.

Still, even though some might roll their eyes at words like “silly” and “wacky” getting thrown around in relation to a Marvel Studios project, DaCosta previously stated that The Marvels will explore “specific, personal, sometimes sad things” that will help to bring the otherwise lighthearted superhero flick down to Earth amid its “full comic book madness:”

It’s a lot less traumatizing to work on for sure…[laughs]… But this movie also deals with specific, personal, sometimes sad things. But no, it’s been nice to work in a different world for sure.

The Marvels certainly has been given Marvel Studios’ all-too-common “action adventure” treatment in posters, early footage, and merchandise reveals, which lines up with DaCosta’s claims of it being a “silly” addition to the MCU. We’ve already gotten a glimpse at story details like Goose the not-quite-a-cat having a litter of kittens, Carol getting accidentally married to a stranger, and lots of place-switching shenanigans thanks to the central trio’s mixed-up powers.

But just how “wacky” will the space-faring epic get? Based on what we’ve seen in trailers, pretty wacky. But even though some might be doubtful of its shift in tone from the first Captain Marvel movie, this could be a refreshing change of pace for Larson’s titular character. Carol Danvers’ onscreen portrayal has often been scrutinized in the past for being “expressionless” and “dull,” meaning that The Marvels being more of a goofy story, could be an ideal chance for Larson to flex her comedy chops while providing some sorely-needed charisma to this promising MCU hero.

Ultimately, most MCU titles incorporate elements of comedy and silliness, though few are straight comedies. It’ll be interesting to see just how far the Captain Marvel sequel leans into its humor and if taking this bold route will pay off. If DaCosta succeeds, then perhaps Carol Davers will finally be redeemed in the eyes of many MCU fans once and for all.

The Marvels arrives in theaters on November 10, 2023.

What do you think of The Marvels being a “silly” and “wacky” comedy? Are you looking forward to seeing it in theaters? Let us know in the comments below.