Marvel’s only superpower is a failing fandom
“Honestly, the closest I can think of them, as well made as they are, with actors doing the best they can under the circumstances, is theme parks,” Martin Scorsese once said in an interview with the New York Times, when asked about his opinion on the notable Marvel franchise. To most filmmakers and audience members in recent years, there has been a laziness and burnout within Superhero films, therefore a very notable box office decline that’s testing the genre’s strength as a whole.
After World War II, the popularity of superhero comics grew dramatically. The publishing company that would become Marvel began in 1939 as Timely Publications, founded by Martin Goodman took off. Now, Marvel is estimated to be a $4 billion franchise owned by Disney. Its largest competitor is DC Comics, owned by Warner Bros. Studios. Sparks of debate have been blowing up across social media platforms arising from the newest DC and Marvel films, “Superman” and “Fantastic Four.” We tend to see Marvel outperform DC in budget, actors and overall popularity. But this year it’s taken quite a turn when Fantastic Four was universally considered a flop with a 66% drop in its second weekend. This demonstrated severely poor audience retention despite a strong opening. And while it exceeded expectations for the opening weekend with $118 million domestically, the film’s performance raised concerns about superhero fatigue and the future of the MCU as a whole. On the other hand, 2025’s Superman performed extremely well at the box office, receiving over $600 million globally by August, soon becoming the highest-grossing solo “Superman” films domestically released. There has been a notable Marvel decline ever since “Avengers: Endgame.”
James Gunn, a notable action and sci-fi director, worked with Marvel and DC for 11 years. His departure from Marvel in 2018 was a huge catalyst in the decline of the MCU. A speculation in the recent popularity for the D.C. franchise and the success of the “Superman” film stems from Gunn’s directorial choices. His position as co-CEO of DC Studios cemented his future with DC, leaving what many fans saw as a creative gap within Marvel, a “fumble,” given his distinctive storytelling style. Although he eventually returned to complete the Guardians trilogy, his permanent shift to DC signaled a major loss of one of Marvel’s most vital creative voices. His affect on the MCU and ultimately the superhero industry is very lasting and prevalent.
After “Avengers: Endgame,” there was a notable decline in the quality of storytelling, overuse of CGI, and rushed projects which stimulated audience fatigue. The continuation of these films dry out the quality of why the original ones were made in the first place. Adding elements like a multiverse to the franchise is relevant to the original comics, but there have been frustrations among audience members with an overwhelming amount of content to consume. “Endgame,” at one point, had been the perfect finish to the Avengers series and to the franchise itself. However, the popularity of the MCU overcame the choice to put a cap on the series.
There has been a recent trend of this in movies today, and that is a contributing factor to superhero burnout. Just because something is popular does not mean audiences need remakes and reboots and live actions of the original thing. The superhero decline is a result of this issue. Some of the best pieces of cinema are standalone works of art. Sometimes the things we let be are the things that become the most precious and honorable, especially in the entertainment industry. “It isn’t the cinema of human beings trying to convey emotional, psychological experiences to another human being,” Scorsese’s final words on the decline of recent superhero films.
