Credit: Marvel Studios2023 was a challenging year for many big-name movie studios, but Disney and Marvel were definitely eating platefuls of dust. After so many box-office bombs, are superhero movies really breathing their last?
Much has been said about “superhero fatigue” and the underwhelming performance of some of the most recent entries in the genre. Even Marvel darling turned DC director James Gunn shared why comic book movies are suffering, and he held nothing back in his assessment.
Even as reviews tank movies like The Marvels (2023) or even DC entries like Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023), is the genre in need of a massive overhaul, or are we possibly looking at the end of an era? A world without superheroes is a scary thought, but money makes the world go round.
Why We Need Superhero Movies
Variety’s Owen Gleiberman published an article titled “Why the Fall of Comic-Book Movie Culture Is Inevitable,” in which he illustrates the state of affairs in the comic-book/superhero movie world. While he is far from wrong when addressing the financial and corporate implications of the medium, to say that studios will cease making movies from a “strip-mined” genre would be untrue.
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Gleiberman described the genre’s 2023 status with the following,
Comic-book movie culture didn’t just stumble this year. It face-planted, giving us one movie after another that fans didn’t much care about and that the corporations backing these films took a disquieting loss on. And that’s not how it was supposed to go. According to the Gospel of 21st-Century Hollywood, the words “comic-book film” and “box-office disappointment” are not supposed to appear in the same sentence. When they do, not just once but over and over and over again, the tea leaves are telling us something ominous and maybe definitive.
The author later goes on to list several superhero movies that failed to live up to expectations. Gleiberman writes,
“The movie companies served up mediocre superhero product. That’s why they — and we — suffered. If it had just been one or two duds, the situation might have been explained away. But when you think back on “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” and “Shazam! Fury of the Gods” and “The Flash” and “The Marvels” and “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom,” the pattern is clear. It’s not simply a Marvel thing or a DC thing. The primal thrill and popularity of comic-book movie culture took a major hit, and it may be fading away…”
Gleiberman is right on the money when he states that “the primal thrill” took a major hit, as many current superhero movies seem to be a series of muscle-bound GGI titans repeatedly smashing each other to pieces and leaving destruction in their wake. However, This writer can’t realistically see a world in which superhero movies and comic book cinema does not exist.
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Although many share the opinions and observations above, we need superhero movies as much as we need romance, comedies, or docu-dramas. It’s a form of catharsis and fulfillment that has been with us since biblical times; we want to see the forces of good triumph over the powers of evil.
In the words of Jerry Maguire, “We live in a cynical world.” Superheroes and comic books are not only a source of fantastic escapism for millions of viewers, but their impact on the world outside of a movie theatre goes beyond any big-budget blockbuster.
A report from The New York Times shares that from a very young age, our heroes help shape our perception of the world. Watching characters like Batman, the Guardians of the Galaxy, or Wolverine and the X-Men overcome insurmountable and impossible odds inspires fans to do the same.
In the article, clinical psychologist Janina Scarlet shared the results of “superhero therapy” and how it resonated with both her and fans of the genre. Scarlet stated,
“What I have found when I teach superhero therapy all over the world is that stories connect people. Connection is necessary for survival…”
Visuals and stunts might be impressive, but it seems the real criticism is one that studios like Disney and Marvel have been wrestling with a lot lately. A lack of emotional story is the genre’s true kryptonite.
Going to the movies is one of my favorite experiences, but there’s always something extra whenever I walk in to see the next installment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe or the continuing adventures of any one of my favorite heroes. Not all of them are going to be hits like Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), but that doesn’t mean they don’t have merit.
Comic book movies aren’t dying, but they aren’t nearly as successful as they should be. Gleiberman’s article ends with the following statement, and there is definitely truth in the theme of “purpose.”
“But if that culture is now entering the early stages of its death throes, it will actually be for an honorable reason. Comic-book movies were never going to die because an “Ant-Man” or “Captain Marvel” sequel was bad. The only reason they were going to die is that they had served their purpose.”
The purpose of any superhero film, good or bad, is to feed that need for escapism and storytelling with larger-than-life heroes taking on the vilest of villains to achieve a cathartic response from the audience. That’s not something that’s going to go away anytime soon.
Do you think the genre is at risk? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!