Superheroes have become an intrinsic part of pop culture today, thanks to the advent of MCU and DCEU. Now, a debate on whether this is a good thing or bad is as good as a debate on the purpose of pop culture itself. But the recent bombardment of live action superhero movies that we have been subjected to does make us rethink whether superhero movies themselves are saturating. Do they still affect us the same way they did 10 years ago?
When DCEU’s The Flash was announced, I was very excited, though I had quite some apprehension running parallel since Andy Muschietti was helming the project. Unfortunately, the movie turned out to be nothing more than a DC ramp show where almost every actor who ever acted in a film or didn’t (spoiler alert! – Nicholas Cage’s Superman is also there) was a part. This, along with the debacle that was Ant-Man 3 and the mediocre Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume 3 made me rethink the direction in which Hollywood live action superhero movies are headed.
The Rise of Live Action Superhero Movies in the 90s
The first live-action superheroes arrived in the 1940s in the form of serials. A lot of superhero serials followed along with some movies. But it was Richard Donner’s Superman of 1978 starring Christopher Reeve that reinvented this format. Superman had 3 sequels to its name. Then came the legendary Tim Burton’s Batman (1989) and Batman Returns (1992) which changed the game. DC established itself as a strong superhero film-producing company.
As for Marvel, it failed to make a mark with its show Spiderman (1977), and movies like Doctor Strange (1978), Captain America (1979), The Incredible Hulk Returns (1988), and finally The Death of the Incredible Hulk (1990). It was 1998’s Blade starring Wesley Snipes that rekindled Marvel and gave it the confidence to try its hand at giving its superheroes a second chance at the movies. The rest is pretty much history. The X-Men and Spider-Man franchises ultimately led to the creation of the MCU with 2008’s Iron Man.
Also Read: Who is David Corenswet, DC’s New Superman Who Replaced Henry Cavill? Where Have We Seen Him Before?
The Saturation of Live Action Superhero Movies
Before talking on this topic, I have to keep aside Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy because it doesn’t fall under the kind of movies we are discussing. And if you find it unjustified, well, I’ll say that Nolan’s trilogy transcends the superhero genre and hence is not up for being discussed here. Coming back, MCU had a great run at the box office till Avengers: Endgame (2019), DCEU did struggle but the people’s love for its characters is what kept it going. However, Snyder’s Man of Steel (2013) and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) are two of the best superhero movies ever made in my opinion.
But, and it’s a big but, the superhero fatigue had started creeping in by the time Endgame arrived. And it hit right after. As we stand in 2023, with a long line of upcoming live action movies starring superheroes, we face a doubt; a doubt of whether they will make any difference to this superhero fatigue.
Granted that new superheroes will be introduced in the future which is exciting news, it is what they will bring to the table that’s in question. And a part of this question has got to do with something that has got nothing to do with superheroes and yet has got everything to do with these movies i.e. visual effects. It’s ironic how the meaning of the word “saturation” goes pretty well with this line of films today, both literally and figuratively.
The amount of visual effects contributes to their saturation, to the point where that’s the only thing that is keeping the superhero movies going. George Lucas’s statement that the Marvel movies are all the same is turning out to be truer than expected. And not just Marvel Studios but the same is the case with DC movies as well. Except for Dawn of Justice (personal opinion).
Relevance of Live Action Superhero Movies- Final Thoughts
Yes, superhero movies are relevant but it is doubtful whether they will be in the future. We are probably the last or the second last generation that was subjected to comic books. Once we are gone, superheroes will cease to matter and so will their movies. But there’s still time for that and so what’s important for us and more so for Marvel and DC is to realize that they need to try harder and make live action superhero movies with substance and not just experiment by introducing new characters and bringing back old ones. That’s just plain dull.
Do you feel that Live Action Superhero Movies are slowly becoming irrelevant? Let us know in the comments below.