Superhero fatigue: When do you think it will actually set in for general audiences?

[Osahi]

Is this really true though? Would these movies only getting funding from streaming services have traditionally gotten as much pre-MCU? Because the superhero movies are pretty much only made by 2 studios nowadays. Disney/Marvel and Sony. It's not like other blockbusters are being passed over by studios in favor of their own superhero movies

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And Warner. And yes, these studios dominate the industry and put superhero movies in the big tentpole slots, and invest a lot of budget in them that can't go to other films. There is no denying there are more of sh-movies being made now and that other types of blockbusters are taking a hit. It's more franchise movies than exclusicely SH and it's not something that originated with the MCU's popularity, but the landscape has changed.

Disney basically only makes franchise movies now, and by taking over Fox they basically killed off another studio making more than superhero films. If I am not mistaken apart from the Avatar films (franchise) the only Fox studios movies currently set for release were in development before Disney took over and 20th Century Studios will be steered towards streaming content.

So yeah, of course those studios currently decide to make SH/franchise films in stead of investing in different kind of blockbusters, which then get picked up by streaming if they're lucky. There are (as always) exceptions and of course there still is different stuff, but to feel there is a lot of SH stuff and less originals/different blockbuster genres is not so strange.

 

[Dalek]

Agreed. What is Achilles if not a superhero?

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What is grief, if not love persevering?

 

[DixieDean82]

I'm serious when I voted 'never'. I held out hope that Endgame might be the end of it, but nope. They're here forever and I'm not even sure if they will slow down. It's been too long, now, the MCU bubble is not bursting.

It is what it is. Lots of people love them. So, good luck to them.

 

[Rangerx]

As someone who grew up reading comics and still does it's set in for me already. The films have just become too formulaic with a few exceptions.

 

[Alexandros]

What is grief, if not love persevering?

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Ah, you caught it, nice :)

 

[timrtabor123]

When gen zs kids grow up and wanna rebel by calling mom and dad's favorite media lame. I don't think it's a coincidence we got a very different sub-genre of sci-fi centered around dystopias from Gen X after boomers loved optimistic stuff like Star Trek and Flash Gordon. Matrix, Blade Runner, Mad Max,etc. I could see movies about crazy deranged folks ala Taxi Driver coming about in the 2040s (so crime thrillers and horror movies).Especially if economic inequality and climate change hits hard as expected. Can't imagine people are gonna hold much contempt for the criminal if everyone gotta steal bread to eat. Hell maybe the success of Joker and A24's output foreshadows this lol.

 

[Dougieflesh]

It's never gonna happen. I know adults who only care to see movies if they're MCU. No such thing as fatigue.

 

[bastardly]

the DCEU and Venomverse might end in a few years, but i can honestly see the MCU lasting forever. It might not always be as massive as it is now, but they will always have its own place in cinema.

 

[Onebadlion]

i think more people want super hero fatigue to actually be a thing than there are people who will experience super hero fatigue

why do yall want super hero hype to die so bad lmao

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Look how many threads there are here about MCU and superheroes on any given day. If you frequent this place and you're not an MCU obsessive with an MCU avatar and a "Avenger" tag, it can all get a bit boring. It's easy to not enter those threads, but they dominate off-topic so it's hard to avoid them completely. Hence why I personally wouldn't be sad to see the hype cool off for a while.

 

[King Kingo]

Saying Jupiter's Legacy is an example of superhero fatigue is like saying the Catwoman movie bombing was an example.

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Alright, you got me there. I can't argue against the flops of Catwoman and Electra analogies. I suppose I've been accustomed to so much entertaining superhero content that it's relatively easy to forget the stinkers.

 

[thewienke]

I think this will last a bit longer than westerns so I'll go with 20 more years for a total of 40-45 years.

That's an insane amount of time in the grand scheme of pop culture. Rock and roll was only king for about 40-50 years or so by comparison. Rap has only been in the mainstream for a little over 40 years and the most popular for about 20.

If people are still claiming "superhero fatigue" by the end of that run then they're missing the forest for the trees. It's less "fatigue" and more everything has its time and place until it just kinda ends and people move on.

 

[m4st4]

It's just like comic books shop. Why would it ever end? It just needs to keep evolving and challenging. Not always, but every couple of years, and we good.

 

[PeskyToaster]

Are we talking about superhero fatigue or when people will tire of the MCU? Or are they the same thing at this point?

 

[Sunster]

i dont have superhero fatigue but the massive size of the MCU is a little overwhelming.

 

[Kasey]

Hopefully soon.

 

[TheBaldwin]

Probably not for many, many years.

There's enough superheroes, unique stories, and settings that can always excite people to come into the MCU etc. It's why comics have survived for so long

Sure, if Marvel had kept it only the original avengers crew im sure we would seen some fatigue now from seeing Iron Man 7 or something.

 

[TheEchosOfTheCyborg]

Depends on what you are talking about, the superhero movie genre as a whole or the superhero genre as the main blockbuster genre?

The former, never, no genre ever goes away no matter how many times people say it's "dead" (same with games, horror games anyone?), it always has an audience and genres aren't tied into being one thing, Superheroes are no exception to this and it's why characters like Superman have lasted 83 years. It's why it irks me when I see people go "Superhero stories have limited plots" like uhh no, their are tons of stories with superhero that aren't big action pieces, again they wouldn't have lasted as long in comic, animation etc form for so long if that's all it was.

Now as for the latter, eventually. Another thing that annoys me is that many complaints about superhero movies and the MCU in particular is that their not actually criticizing the genre, but the Hollywood system behind them. All being action films, bloated budgets, lack of character pieces, "low art"", all of that isn't the fault of the genre but the system behind it, it's happened before, it will happen again and yet people never seem to get that.

It's the same with how Hollywood treated Sci-Fi movies after Star Wars, or Westerns before that, Historical epics etc etc etc.

So yes, eventually Superheroes will no longer be Hollywood's big gravy train genre or sub-genre, their will be another big gravy train they'll all want to sip drain for all their might and turn them in more big loud action movies and will make the same complaints and mockeries towards the genre rather than the system.

But Superhero movies as a movie genre will never go away. We may see less of them, they may not be as big or have the same size of budgets, but they'll be there.

 

[Blader]

When too many of the movies are bad.

 

[JaseC64]

Marvel/Disney is the only one really putting effort into super hero films and content. They have basically filled a void that has existed since forever. (DC has done a good job but lately they are a mess, sorry) Introducing new exiting events help people stay interested. Also there are key super heroes that likely will keep a strong presence in the film industry. (Spiderman is one)

The only reason MCU films seem to have taken a back seat is due to covid. Outside of this pandemic, the new spiderman film would likely make End game numbers. Highly unlikely to happen though. So chances are, there will be another film down the line to top End game. (Xmen x Avengers x whatever) Who knows but general audiences like the super hero stuff. Just cause someone is "tired" or "bored" from them doesn't matter. I was once asked why super hero are made. Like WHAT?! Since when is good vs bad something complicated to understand? Yet they like Kunfu Panda. (Don't tell them it involves good vs bad basic principles ROLF)

 

[Maolfunction]

Realistically, it'll be when Disney smells blood in the water and stops investing in the MCU because they feel the money is better spent elsewhere with something that's bringing in more money for the same cost. Who knows when that will be, but Disney isn't going to pump a lot of money into something they think can be spent better.

Most studios that haven't been consumed by the mouse these days are just chasing Disney's coattails, and will conform to whatever they're doing. You'll still get occasional superhero movies but they'll be niche and much smaller scale.

 

[dancingphlower]

Look how many threads there are here about MCU and superheroes on any given day. If you frequent this place and you're not an MCU obsessive with an MCU avatar and a "Avenger" tag, it can all get a bit boring. It's easy to not enter those threads, but they dominate off-topic so it's hard to avoid them completely. Hence why I personally wouldn't be sad to see the hype cool off for a while.

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🤔

I will say though, it's better than threads about neighborhood kids ringing the doorbell and running away or people asking if cargo short are back lol

 

[xxracerxx]

"Avenger" tag

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This tag came about because it was basically gambling with ERA access. Plenty of people not into the MCU partook.

 

[mbpm]

When we have real enhanced individuals

 

[zashga]

Don't know. If superhero films were just a bubble then they should have already popped by now. I assume they will fade eventually since no genre reigns forever, but I have no idea when that may happen. Not this year, apparently.

 

[B-Dubs]

Don't know. If superhero films were just a bubble then they should have already popped by now. I assume they will fade eventually since no genre reigns forever, but I have no idea when that may happen. Not this year, apparently.

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The Marvel ones keep chugging on because they're not just superhero movies. They're genre films that happen to star superheroes. Ant-Man is a heist film, Winter Soldier is a spy movie, Shang-Chi is a kung-fu film, Infinity War is a disaster movie, Endgame was a heist film mixed with a sci-fi movie, the Spider-Man films are literally 80's John Hughes teen movies, and so on and so forth.

It's why they work, they aren't just paint-by-number superhero movies like we got in the 90's and early 2000's. They're genre films with super heroes as the main characters.

 

[BasilZero]

Don't think it's a thing at all

Plenty of other movies available and to be honest superhero genre/trope has become my favorite in the last decade

Watched more super hero movies between marvel and DC than any other and I want more lol

 

[Tavernade]

Personally I want them to last long enough that they're an established genre. It feels weird seeing them listed as sci-fi/action films.

 

[Khanimus]

The genre has too much range of possibility and diversity of casting that it's not just gonna go the way of the Western. The appeal of something like Logan is not the same as the appeal of Shang Chi, which is not the same as the appeal of Loki, which is not the same as the appeal of Blade.

People get attached to these characters (and the cast) long-term. When you start fucking with that without presenting interesting alternatives, or the quality starts meaningfully dipping, that's when you risk an actual decline. But how many people came away from Wandavision like "Oh man, I love Wanda and Vision now. Didn't know I liked them so much before." How many see Infinity War and go "oh wait, Doctor Strange is awesome actually." There's always new audiences and new characters.

 

[JFoul]

Overall, I don't think fatigue will ever set in.

Personally, I'm fatigued because we're starting over and I don't see a clear path yet, but I'll be back eventually.

Comic movies are pretty much American anime at this point and aren't going anywhere.

 

[night814]

Hero blockbusters have been around for a while with varying degrees of success, it will continue to go like that. MCU has become a part of the zeitgeist of the last decade and a half, I don't think that's going anywhere. DC/WB have had a much harder time getting projects out of the writing room and into production and even though they've gotten better at it they still announce stuff far too early and then it becomes vaporware the movie.

 

[Zutrax]

General audiences don't think that hard about it.

They aren't steeped in internet culture, nerdist circles that endlessly discuss and argue over these films. General audiences just sometimes randomly see a commercial for some fun new Marvel thing on TV and decide to check it out Friday evening with their buddies like twice a year. There's not much to "fatigue" someone over if they aren't thinking about something for more than a few hours a year.

The superhero fatigue is a myth that people who are constantly surrounded by this stuff have fabricated due to a disconnect with the way the world at large actually operates. It's literally as simple as "people want to see fun spectacles sometimes" it's like families taking trips to Disney World, people will always want to go.

 

[Shroki]

Sub-genres don't die because of fatigue. They die because the quality of the movies takes a dive.

So basically when Marvel Studios stop killing it.

 

[Karateka]

I'd be fine if big budget sci fi like dune and hyperion was the next wave of smash hit films but it will probably just be superhero films for the next 30 years.

 

[Weiss]

Every genre stops being the biggest thing in the world eventually, but outright fatigue of superhero films as a whole? That ain't gonna happen, the worst we'll get is a return to the pre-MCU status quo where the movies are independent installments.

Superman and Batman were in other media as early as 1941. Superheroes have, in fact, been around the block.

 

[The Ethereal One]

Sub-genres don't die because of fatigue. They die because there's a dearth of quality releases and people anticipate the next release less and less.

So the answer is when the MCU slips. Hasn't happened yet.

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If we're talking about the films, then things definitely started wobbling a little with Black Widow. Shang Chi quickly corrected it however.

 

[xxracerxx]

If we're talking about the films, then things definitely started wobbling a little with Black Widow. Shang Chi quickly corrected it however.

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Wobble? Like Disney was going to shut down their future projects because of BW? Hardly.

 

[Shroki]

If we're talking about the films, then things definitely started wobbling a little with Black Widow. Shang Chi quickly corrected it however.

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The MCU's great strength is that their worst movies are inoffensive, unremarkable blockbusters & their best movies excite and invigorate enough people to break box-office records. Black Widow might on the lower end of the scale but it's no different than Ant-Man 2 or Iron Man 2 in that respect.

 

[The Ethereal One]

I'd be fine if big budget sci fi like dune and hyperion was the next wave of smash hit films but it will probably just be superhero films for the next 30 years.

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Heavy and traditional sci-fi has been a hard sell with modern audiences. It would be cool to see a present day sci-fi explosion at the box office, especially since the stories and casts tend to be more progressive, but I doubt that will happen anytime soon. Dune is looking to disappoint.

 

[pillowtalk]

It's a genre on its own now and it's going to stay. Its popularity will wax and wane over time.

 

[Karateka]

Heavy and traditional sci-fi has been a hard sell with modern audiences. It would be cool to see a present day sci-fi explosion at the box office, especially since the stories and casts tend to be more progressive, but I doubt that will happen anytime soon. Dune is looking to disappoint.

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Not sure how it is looking to disappoint. There is no indication of box office response yet and reviews have been positive plus it has an immense cast.

 

[zashga]

The Marvel ones keep chugging on because they're not just superhero movies. They're genre films that happen to star superheroes. Ant-Man is a heist film, Winter Soldier is a spy movie, Shang-Chi is a kung-fu film, Infinity War is a disaster movie, Endgame was a heist film mixed with a sci-fi movie, the Spider-Man films are literally 80's John Hughes teen movies, and so on and so forth.

It's why they work, they aren't just paint-by-number superhero movies like we got in the 90's and early 2000's. They're genre films with super heroes as the main characters.

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Fair enough. I may be stuck in an early 2000s frame of mind where superhero movies were more of a novelty and judged primarily by how faithful they were to the source material. It's fair to say now that superhero movies have a lot more variety in terms of sub-genre and tone, and that the superhero movie audience isn't just interested in (for example) whether or not wolverine is wearing yellow and blue spandex.

 

[xxracerxx]

Fair enough. I may be stuck in an early 2000s frame of mind where superhero movies were more of a novelty and judged primarily by how faithful they were to the source material. It's fair to say now that superhero movies have a lot more variety in terms of sub-genre and tone, and that the superhero movie audience isn't just interested in (for example) whether or not wolverine is wearing yellow and blue spandex.

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Yet if anyone were to give Wolverine a yellow/blue outfit, it would be the current MCU.

 

[Gamer @ Heart]

Personally speaking, I doubt I will find myself fatigued of a genre of entertainment that makes up maybe 10 hours of my time a year.

It's not like eating spaghetti twice a week.

 

[evilromero]

It would take a string of highly publicized big budget studio releases that are received poorly enough both in ticket sales and critical reception to quite the super hero movie train.

Personally I lost interest after the second Avengers movie. I went to the theater to see Thor 3 but haven't been back for a super hero movie since. Haven't even watched any that came to streaming/BR yet.

 

[The Ethereal One]

Wobble? Like Disney was going to shut down their future projects because of BW? Hardly.

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Wobble when it comes to quality and reception. Black Widow had a middling-lukewarm response at best. Audiences have been way more enthusiastic and pleased with Shang Chi in comparison.

 

[maximumzero]

As long as the films continue to be good, why would fatigue set in?

 

[TheMadTitan]

A large variety of characters that exist in a large variety of settings and overlap with a large variety of genres.

Superhero fatigue will come when people are fatigued of action and thriller movies in general.

Which they won't be.

 

[xxracerxx]

Wobble when it comes to quality and reception. Black Widow had a middling-lukewarm response at best. Audiences have been way more enthusiastic and pleased with Shang Chi in comparison.

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The films have wobbled in the past and they will wobble again. It isn't really a sign of all-out fatigue.

 

[Alexandros]

Are we talking about superhero fatigue or when people will tire of the MCU? Or are they the same thing at this point?

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The first, although I'd say it's mostly the same, in the sense that the MCU commands the lion's share of attention and revenue within the genre. I don't think anyone could make a convincing argument for superhero fatigue if people keep going to the cinemas in droves for MCU stuff.

 

[DrROBschiz]

If the genre and its caretakers continue to innovate, excite, flip the script and so on...

Who knows how long it stays relevant. Maybe for the foreseeable future

I dont see what the problem is. People keep claiming it comes at the expense of other creative ventures and I look at the massive wave hot new shows showing up on dozens of platforms... The huge size of my backlog of recommended things to watch and I am like...

Is this really a huge issue for people?