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James Gunn gets honest about the ongoing debate of a possible superhero movie fatigue setting in. Gunn started his mainstream superhero movie work by writing and directing Marvel Studios’ Guardians of the Galaxy franchise. Gunn has now become one of the most powerful individuals in the superhero bubble by getting appointed, alongside Peter Safran, as one of DC Studios’ top two executives. Gunn’s experience in both of the biggest superhero movie studios has helped him form an opinion on the debate that superhero movie fatigue is in play.
Speaking with Rolling Stone, Gunn was honest about the superhero movie fatigue phenomenon, saying that he believes it is real. However, the creative was quick to point out that the fatigue was not related to the existence of superhero projects but the kind of stories that are being told. Gunn was straightforward, saying that “if it becomes just a bunch of nonsense onscreen, it gets really boring,” as even movies featuring fantastical battles with Superman, Iron Man, and other heroes need a strong emotional core to make audiences care. Gunn ends by saying the superhero fatigue is “very, very real.” Check out the full quote below:
“I think there is such a thing as superhero fatigue. 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. We love Iron Man. Because they’re these incredible characters that we have in our hearts. And if it becomes just a bunch of nonsense onscreen, it gets really boring. But I get fatigued by most spectacle films, by the grind of not having an emotionally grounded story. It doesn’t have anything to do with whether they’re superhero movies or not. If you don’t have a story at the base of it, just watching things bash each other, no matter how clever those bashing moments are, no matter how clever the designs and the VFX are, it just gets fatiguing, and I think that’s very, very real.”
What Do Recent Marvel & DC Releases Say About Superhero Fatigue?
Gunn’s words speak true to what has been going on lately with both DC and Marvel. While new Marvel Cinematic Universe releases were once instant hits with both critics and audiences, the MCU has come to struggle in recent years. Yes, movies such as Spider-Man: No Way Home and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever have reached resounding success, but the recently concluded MCU Phase 4 is easily the most divisive in the franchise’s history. With only a few of the original Avengers continuing in the MCU, Marvel has had to pivot to developing new heroes.
A reformulation process can be very delicate, and the mixed reception of most of Marvel’s recent movies and series shows that the studio has not really cracked down on it yet. Gunns’ mention of superhero fatigue being related to repetitive focus on fights and VFX while “not having an emotionally grounded story” can relate to Marvel’s predicament. The main criticism about the current MCU turns back to the movies feeling like they are the same, with a focus on spectacle over story, which has really damaged the MCU, especially as Marvel’s VFX department has gone through many behind-the-scenes issues.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is the biggest evidence of Marvel’s situation, with the movie set to be the lowest-grossing of the Ant-Man franchise, despite all the anticipation before its release. DC’s side of things is a little different, as the studio is going through a major overhaul, under Gunn and Safran, to move away from the old DCEU, which was one of the main contributors to the superhero fatigue debate. The recent bombing of Shazam! Fury of the Gods at the box office, one of the last DCEU movies, shows that audiences want novelty, or else the superhero fatigue will win. Thankfully, James Gunn is here to stop that.
Source: Rolling Stone
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