As blockbusters continually slump – unless they’re Barbenheimer – Industry insiders have been attributing the recent poor performance of superhero films to audience fatigue. One director from Marvel Studios acknowledges the concept but believes her movies will still do well.
The Marvels director Nia DaCosta recently talked about the concept of “superhero fatigue”. In an interview with Total Film, the director said, “I think superhero fatigue absolutely exists.” However, she believes her upcoming movie will still be different enough from other recent superhero films to dodge the burnout.
Most of the movies for Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe centered around grief and coping with the feeling of loss from The Blip. However, Phase 5 is a bit more lively, with upcoming movies like The Marvels being more lighthearted and fun.
“The biggest difference from the other MCU movies to date is that it’s really wacky, and silly,” DaCosta said. “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.”
Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn and Marvel boss Kevin Feige previously said addressed the topic of superhero fatigue. Gunn said to Rolling Stone that superhero fatigue has nothing to do with the superhero but more with the story being told.
“I think there is such a thing as superhero fatigue,” Gunn shared. “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. […] And if it becomes just a bunch of nonsense onscreen, it gets really boring.”
Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige also shared that he has been hearing about superhero fatigue for 20 years. In an interview with The Movie Business Podcast, Feige shared his experience during the early days of the superhero franchise.
“I’ve been at Marvel Studios for over 22 years, and most of us here at Marvel Studios have been around a decade or longer together,” Feige explained. “From probably my second year at Marvel, people were asking, ‘Well, how long is this going to last? Is this fad of comic book movies going to end?’ I didn’t really understand the question. Because to me, it was akin to saying after ‘Gone With the Wind,’ ‘Well, how many more movies can be made off of novels?”
He adds, “Do you think the audience will sour on movies being adapted from books?’ You would never ask that because there’s an inherent understanding among most people that a book can be anything. A novel can have any type of story whatsoever. So, it all depends on what story you’re translating.”
The Marvels will see Carol Danvers aka Captain Marvel team up with Kamala Khan aka Ms. Marvel and Captain Monica Rambeau. The trio will have to learn to work together to save the universe in the upcoming movie. According to the movie’s executive producer, The Marvels features a team-up that everyone can relate to.
“The Avengers movies are these epic conclusions to chapters of storytelling, whereas this is a team-up within the narrative that we didn’t necessarily expect for Marvel,” executive producer Mary Livanos explains. “Usually, you wait for characters to show up all together in Avengers movies. We were excited to design a team-up featuring characters that women from all walks of life could relate to.”
The Marvels is premiering in theaters on November 10, 2023.
