The Superhero movie trend won’t end until entertainment trends change globally?

[mathew101281]

It isn’t like the western, which is tied to a real time in history and thus is impacted by how we view that time.
Superheroes are popular because they are the one genre that still have universal appeal, in a world of ever increasing compartmentalized entertainment. Any genre that intends to replace supers as “the genre” are going to have to do three things...

1. Be popular globally: a blockbuster really can’t be just a local hit anymore. This pretty much curtails many genres from being as popular as Superheroes, since many are very specific to their culture, it’s why Bollywood musicals rarely have global success, and comedies rarely make as much as Superhero films (humor is very subjective even within cultures). Anything that knocks off Supers is going need to travel well.

2. Appeal to both male and female viewers: The problem with a lot of other genres is that they are very gendered. Historicallly Superheroes have been to, but that has really changed in the last decade and a half. That’s what will always keep romance, and more traditional macho action movies down. This is also what keeps religious(Christian) film down to, since their demographic is almost exclusively women.

3. Appeal to multiple ages: the main reason why Marvel movies clean up is the fact that they appeal both to children and adults. It’s really difficult for movies made almost exclusively for adults or exclusively for kids to pull in the kind of dollars. Sure you have your exceptions, but for the most part pg13 movies are the engine that drive Hollywood.

[Agent Z]

If the superhero genre is going the way of the western, it will be a long time before that happens.

[Hall]

Superhero movies will always make money. I don't think they will remain relevant. Globally people know what superhero movies are about and have kind of accepted it. A real superhero rebirth to prevent it going out like Westerns will be to break out of what we have now and just do something different, that would breathe new life. It is not as if all stories in comics are about good guys fighting bad guys.

I wish we had gotten the Multiple Man film, something smaller would be good. that said, I do hope The Joker film, Venom, New Mutants if it ever gets released perform well. These are currently the only superhero films thinking outside of the box compared to the standard norm even within their own franchises consisting of Dark Phoenix, Spiderman Homecoming, DCEU Batman.

[KNIGHT OF THE LAKE]

Superhero is a concept not a genre. That's why it has staying power. Guardians/Green Lantern is more of a sci fi space opera. Batman is crime/noir. Superman/Spiderman is action drama. Captain America is a geopolitical action thriller. Aquaman and Black Panther are science fiction and fantasy

[Osiris-Rex]

Superhero is a concept not a genre. That's why it has staying power. Guardians/Green Lantern is more of a sci fi space opera. Batman is crime/noir. Superman/Spiderman is action drama. Captain America is a geopolitical action thriller. Aquaman and Black Panther are science fiction and fantasy

All they really have in common is they are based on costumed comic book characters. So unless people get tired of seeing someone in a costume and that is the only reason they stop going, they object to watching someone in
a costume, comic book based movies have no reason to die out. Westerns died because America went from a mostly rural society to a mostly urban society and Americans could no longer relate to people living in a rural setting.
So cop movies took their place because cops function in an urban environment. Comic book movies are the opposite. No one can relate to someone in a costume fighting crime so it gives an other world experience. And no one
is ever going to relate to someone in a costume fighting crime so comic book based movies will always be an other world experience.

[AJBopp]

It's somewhat like saying the detective movie trend, or the police drama trend, or the romantic comedy trend won't die until entertainment trends change globally. Yes, that's what it will take to end any of those things, but don't look for it to happen soon.

Comparing to Westerns is always a bad idea because, as has been stated earlier, Westerns were never so much a trend as a genre. Also, Westerns in general were never that common.

Now, a bit of clarification on that last part. In the 40s and 50s you had loads of Lash LaRue, Tom Mix, Roy Rogers, Hopalong Cassidy...all those low-budget things, often in the form of serials. I don't think it's fair to count those as mainstream movies, any more than we would count Roger Corman movies today.

The Western as a high-profile, seriously-budgeted film with talented actors such as Henry Fonda was never a "thing." Not in the way superhero movies have been for the last 20 years. There have been 0-4 Westerns released per year since forever, with an exception coming in about a 4 year period in the late 60s-early 70s when there were half a dozen or so per year in that time frame.

[The Cool Thatguy]

All they really have in common is they are based on costumed comic book characters. So unless people get tired of seeing someone in a costume and that is the only reason they stop going, they object to watching someone in
a costume, comic book based movies have no reason to die out. Westerns died because America went from a mostly rural society to a mostly urban society and Americans could no longer relate to people living in a rural setting.
So cop movies took their place because cops function in an urban environment. Comic book movies are the opposite. No one can relate to someone in a costume fighting crime so it gives an other world experience. And no one
is ever going to relate to someone in a costume fighting crime so comic book based movies will always be an other world experience.

I think that's the problem DC movies face, vs. Marvel movies.

In DC, their most iconic characters become heroes in reaction to trauma (Batman) or because of high moral fiber that most of us lack (Superman).

In the MU, Stark is more about taking responsibility for his mistakes, Cap just wanted to serve, Thor needs to grow as a person, Scott wants to be someone his daughter can look up to, etc.

It's pretty easy to relate to MU heroes, IMO.

[Agent Z]

I think that's the problem DC movies face, vs. Marvel movies.

In DC, their most iconic characters become heroes in reaction to trauma (Batman) or because of high moral fiber that most of us lack (Superman).

In the MU, Stark is more about taking responsibility for his mistakes, Cap just wanted to serve, Thor needs to grow as a person, Scott wants to be someone his daughter can look up to, etc.

It's pretty easy to relate to MU heroes, IMO.

They're not different at all.

Steve is also depicted as having moral fibre most people lack (it's explicitly stated the reason he didn't go nuts from the super soldier serum was because of his heart) and Tony's reasons for wanting to correct his mistakes was due to the trauma he suffered from his own weapons.

Despite what Stan Lee claimed, the Marvel heroes are no more or less relatable than their DC counterparts.

[The Cool Thatguy]

They're not different at all.

Steve is also depicted as having moral fibre most people lack (it's explicitly stated the reason he didn't go nuts from the super soldier serum was because of his heart) and Tony's reasons for wanting to correct his mistakes was due to the trauma he suffered from his own weapons.

Despite what Stan Lee claimed, the Marvel heroes are no more or less relatable than their DC counterparts.

Multi-million dollar movies would disagree

[Agent Z]

Multi-million dollar movies would disagree

The first DCEU films made more money than most phase one Marvel films. Superman and Batman are the reasons anyone even knew superhero films are profitable. The only DCEU film that's actually been a financial bomb is Justice League. So yeah, really no difference.

I guess I just don't see how a guy who turns into Shrek's nastier cousin and a tree that says only three words are so much more relatable than a guy dealing with PTSD, an immigrant trying to fit in and a woman experiencing the outside world away from home for the first time.

Either Marvel's heroes aren't more relatable or it isn't relatability that's pulling audiences to these films.

[CliffHanger2]

The first DCEU films made more money than most phase one Marvel films. Superman and Batman are the reasons anyone even knew superhero films are profitable. The only DCEU film that's actually been a financial bomb is Justice League. So yeah, really no difference.

I guess I just don't see how a guy who turns into Shrek's nastier cousin and a tree that says only three words are so much more relatable than a guy dealing with PTSD, an immigrant trying to fit in and a woman experiencing the outside world away from home for the first time.

Either Marvel's heroes aren't more relatable or it isn't relatability that's pulling audiences to these films.

Maybe not more relatable but Marvel heroes are definitely more likable/personable I would say. WW aside ppl can probably see themselves having a drink or chopping it up with Stark,Thor or T'challa over Bruce Wayne,Supes or Aqua Man. And I liked the Snyderverse but yeah...

[Mormel]

I think one of the things the MCU has going for it is that it pokes fun at itself and at the genre. It reminds me of those sequences in Bronze Age Marvel comics when Steve Rogers would trip on his Nomad cape, or the Avengers had to take the bus because the government repo'ed their Quinjet.

[The Cool Thatguy]

The first DCEU films made more money than most phase one Marvel films. Superman and Batman are the reasons anyone even knew superhero films are profitable. The only DCEU film that's actually been a financial bomb is Justice League. So yeah, really no difference.

I guess I just don't see how a guy who turns into Shrek's nastier cousin and a tree that says only three words are so much more relatable than a guy dealing with PTSD, an immigrant trying to fit in and a woman experiencing the outside world away from home for the first time.

Either Marvel's heroes aren't more relatable or it isn't relatability that's pulling audiences to these films.

Superman and Batman have had platforms for decades now.

In comparison, the MCU has built itself from the ground up. Iron Man was never the household name Superman or Batman was, and spawned all the MCU that's followed.

And frankly, Rocket's far more relatable than the Superman we've had of late. His insecurity of being an experiment, of fighting for respect and self respect.

What's Superman's problem? It's not the immigrant experience, because he was raised on earth (and white). The only time his home planet situation is addressed is when Kal tells Zod that earth had it's chance.

No, Superman's problem is that he's too powerful and people aren't nice to him because of it. Yeah...

The MCU has excellent plots that draw on the protagonist's character, with action that creates instant tension. Not exactly a secret formula, but a good one.

[Farealmer]

I guess I just don't see how a guy who turns into Shrek's nastier cousin and a tree that says only three words are so much more relatable than a guy dealing with PTSD, an immigrant trying to fit in and a woman experiencing the outside world away from home for the first time.

This might of had more impact if they had done it right in the movies. Supes was more the weird kid than the immigrant and later in life was just a handsome white dude. Batman's PTSD would have been more relatable if he hadn't slipped out of it from his mother having the same name as Supes' mother. Batman was basically fine in Justice league, real PTSD doesn't get cured that fast. Wonder Woman's introduction was in BvS, which showed a person out to keep her secret and not interested in helping the world until the last minute change of heart. All the things you listed that made them relatable where not presented well.

Compare that to Tony's PTSD which was the focus of Iron Man 3 and colored his actions in the movies since. Often for the worse rather than better like Batman. That's the issue with DCEU, it tried to go heavy out of the gate instead of let the things build naturally.

[Agent Z]

Superman and Batman have had platforms for decades now.

In comparison, the MCU has built itself from the ground up. Iron Man was never the household name Superman or Batman was, and spawned all the MCU that's followed.

And frankly, Rocket's far more relatable than the Superman we've had of late. His insecurity of being an experiment, of fighting for respect and self respect.

What's Superman's problem? It's not the immigrant experience, because he was raised on earth (and white). The only time his home planet situation is addressed is when Kal tells Zod that earth had it's chance.

No, Superman's problem is that he's too powerful and people aren't nice to him because of it. Yeah...

The MCU has excellent plots that draw on the protagonist's character, with action that creates instant tension. Not exactly a secret formula, but a good one.

Actually it isn't the only time. It's discussed in the flashbacks to Clark as a boy, he talks about it with the Jor-El ghost and later on we see him talking about it with Lois and his mother. And he never says earth had its chance so there's another mistake on your part.

And being a talking racoon experiment is relatable to the average person how?

You might find Rocket relatable. Doesn't mean everyone does. Because everyone has different experiences.