The Future of Superhero Films
With Batman hanging up his cape for now, the future of Superheroes appears to be in Marvel’s favour
After the enormous success of Marvel’s Cinematic Universe films (Avengers, Iron Man etc) and Nolan’s Batman series, comic book movies have now proven themselves not only as a great source of revenue, but also being of genuine artistic worth. Now that the most well known superheroes have been used, has the genre already peaked?
Nolan redefined the superhero genre, showing the depth and humanity of the man in the cape and cowl. Gone was the camp crusader of the 90′s, with Batman & Robin being one of, if not the worst superhero film’s of all time, most notably in one scene where Batman brandishes a Batman-branded credit card, and the declaration that he ‘never leaves the Batcave without it.’ The Dark Knight Rises inclusion of Catwoman eradicated Warner’s abysmal outing, replacing the Wrestlemania-ready ‘brought back to life by a cat’ vision and instead alluded towards Bob Kane’s original creation of a mysterious burglar and jewel thief. This is where DC has truly succeeded, realising the importance of character exploration. Next summer marks the return of Superman, with DC undoubtedly hoping that they can build a new critical and commercial reboot which can go one of two ways:
1) A second attempt-Hulk like flop, similarly to the Brandon Routh failed reboot just a few years ago.
2) Nolan’s successful in presenting Superman in a modern context, leading to universal critical acclaim and a sizable box office performance, paving the way for future DC films.
DC will be hoping that the latter is the case, with a Justice League film in the pipeline with a 2014 release date being considered, any chance of getting the green light will almost certainly be riding on the success of Superman. One big problem with such an intended release date is bringing Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, The Flash and Green Lantern together without the stable support of individual lead in films as Marvel achieved so well with The Avengers. Zach Snyder has said that Henry Cavill’s Superman won’t be part of Justice League, which will ‘have it’s own Superman and Batman.’ With no foundations being built prior to its potential release, it’s hard to see a Justice League film performing anywhere near as well as The Avengers.
With a Hulk TV series in the pipeline, could this be the next step for superheroes? Going from the big screen to the small screen allows for much more character exploration than any 2 hour film would allow. With Marvel ever-expanding its Universe, TV series could easily strengthen any future films with cameos to keep the Universe a constant.
The Avengers and the five films that lead into it—both Iron Man films, The Incredible Hulk, Captain America, and Thor have earned Marvel Entertainment almost $4 billion dollars, making it the fourth-highest-grossing film franchise of all time. With the announcement that Avengers 2 is due for a 2015 release date, and sequels to Thor, Iron Man and Captain America due prior to this, as well as a new entry based on Guardians of the Galaxy, it’s hard to imagine Marvel not making a ton of money from these films. The Marvel Cinematic Universe is building an insular world that can hold any number of heroes and story arcs, and the more success it’s current franchises gain, the more likely they are to transfer lesser known comic book heroes to screen. Reboots are inevitable, regardless of whether a film performs well or not, allowing for fresh vision as proven with The Amazing Spiderman. With the Superman insignia being just as recognisable as the American flag, there will always be a place for reboots whether it be on TV or the big screen, it’s just a matter of when.
42 Responses to “The Future of Superhero Films”
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- - September 1, 2012
Great post – interesting viewpoint on the industry and you are obviously a fan of the better films yourself without being a complete fanboy. I am a big fan of the character exploration and also the Greek-God-like status the old heroes are being risen to, with darker films that have more for older viewers. But if the list of hero films keeps expanding at this rate, I am just going to be more selective in those I watch rather than extending my home loan to see them all on the big screen.
Great points! I think they’ll slowly come in. I can’t see Downey Jnr doing many more Iron Man films, so I think when Avengers begins to die down a bit they’ll start exploring wider and rebooting other not so well received films like Daredevil.
Awesome post! I love what they’re doing with the Marvel (film) Universe, I just hope that tell Ben Affleck and Jen Garner that they killed off Daredevil and Electra!!
Oh yes, they should kill those two off.
Good point! I still don’t understand how Electra got a spin off after Daredevil performed so badly! I think they’ll leave it a few years before they try to reboot, give people a bit more time to forget!
Firstly, great post
I don’t think there’s enough time to forget those travesties. There is one more Marvel character that needs to shake off some bad memories as well and that is Deadpool. I would be more than happy to see him get his own film, but X Men Origins: Wolverine didn’t do the character any justice.
While talking about Justice I can’t see a Justice League film being anywhere near as successful as the Avengers as the universe itself doesn’t exist yet. Marvel have created a believable (a word I use loosely) world where the heroes have heard of exploits in other cities, and regularly comment on them. DC haven’t achieved this. Can you imagine Superman or Green Lantern sharing a universe with Nolan’s Batman? Doesn’t seem believable, as such a Justice League film should be shelved until they can find a way to tie it all in
Brill post – I’m a fan of the modern stuff but I have to say the superman films from the seventies are still my favorites, even after The Avengers came out.
I haven’t seen the 70′s films, but I think I definitely need to see the Nick Fury TV film that starred David Hasselhoff…
looks brilliant, thats going on my list of things to see!
Seriously hoping we can see a Superman movie that isn’t ridiculously silly or blandly formulaic. He’s got the right stuff, they just keep putting the lame stuff on the big screen.
The trailer seems quite promising, they’re not relying so heavily on the signifiers associated with Superman, like Lois Lane, The Daily Planet etc. With Christopher Nolan involved, I can’t be as sceptical as I would be if he wasn’t involved!
Maybe they’ll even remake the Ghost Rider and Spawn movies, which would be nice because Spawn sucked and Nicholas Cage cannot act.
A Ghost Rider reboot wouldn’t have too much pressure seeing the first two were so bad! Nicholas Cage suits Kick Ass a lot more!
yeah, that was probably the most impressive performance i’ve ever seen from him. all the others have failed to impress (unless you count Andy Sandberg portraying him on SNL).
I am extremely excited about every superhero movie as a comic book geek, but the future? Well, if Rocket Raccoon can be part of that future, I’ll be more than pleased.
So far the reboots – remakes – have been so respectfully and creatively done that it is like watching the movie for the first time.
Definitely, I think it’ll be interesting to see how the most current films (Avengers) will be adapted in the future. Spiderman seems to be proof that regardless of the length of time between it’s possible to successfully reboot to critical acclaim, which is quite a feat seeing Sam Raimi’s trilogy was so well received.
I have always seen DC outshinning Marvel in years past but the last few years have proved me wrong. We can probably assume that the DC adaptations lack better vision and representation than the Marvel because of the turn out it gets especially at the box office but however it is, superhero movies have been one hell of a success in this time and age. What’s most interesting is these movies now have the adult generation in mind; those of us that grew up watching and reading their comic series. You have carefully looked into and analysed this part of the movie industry and I must say, it’s a great read. Thumbs up!
Thanks a lot, much appreciated! I think Marvel have put a lot more consideration into the direction they’ve taken, Avengers couldn’t have been built up any better. It’s worrying that DC can even consider a Justice League film without doing individual films prior to it, completely skipping the hype the pre-Avenger films, only time will tell!
I think someone needs to give DC this lessons. But then, I agree to that. Time will definitely tell.
I think someone like you needs to give DC these lessons. But then I agree with you. Time will definitely tell.
You can certainly see your skills within the paintings you write. The world hopes for even more passionate writers like you who aren’t afraid to say how they believe. At all times go after your heart.
I am looking forward to the next Marvel releases. My husband has been watching the cartoon version of The Justice League. They are the fairly new ones I think, I think there is definitely something in them that could be used to make a great Justice League movie. I’ll be interested to see whether I can stomach another Superman movie though!
Thanks for your post!
Excellent points! Very well-written.
For me the Avengers group did the best team up of them all!
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I’m not convinced that DC will ever be able to put together a decent set of interconnected superhero movies the way that Marvel has. I’ve always preferred Marvel anyhow. I’m looking forward to the new Superman movie as the 2006 reboot was abysmal.
Very fascinating article.
Thank you very much!
Nice post. I think the main problem DC are going to face is how Batman is their special hero. Writers seem to have an easier time taking Batman seriously and giving him that psychological depth and human core that every movie and comic fan relates to. With the rest of the DC roster, I’m struggling to see that same amount of scope available. Marvel, on the other hand, have a HUGE list of characters that – while lacking the depth of Batman – are all appealing in their own way. It seems that DC have sort of blown their main attraction with Batman.
Can’t wait till Wonder Woman!! Thanks…
I always did prefer DC over Marvel- I don’t know why, their characters are much more superhero-ey? Anyways, they are making a Justice League movie??!! Definitely going to be seeing that when it (hopefully) comes out!
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Congrats on making the Freshly Pressed page!
Reblogged this on Skylark and commented:
What will be the future of Superhero movies like..??
omg wonder woman!!!! YES. i wish it wasn’t such a typical slutty girl thing to do or i would totally be her for halloween!!!!!
also, spot on about the superman insignia vs american flag comment.
Thank you! Haha maybe just try and get yourself an invite to a Superhero themed party, avoid the old halloween cliche!
I think DC is stuttering whereas Marvel has obviously succeeded. Marvel has taken the time to plan and build its Marvel Universe on the big screen. It seems like DC cannot get the plans down on paper to line all these films up and to start creating their universe for Justice League. Marvels success for The Avengers hinged on the buildup of all the previous movies – Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, etc. DC just cant seem to get that ball rolling in order to make a cohesive comic universe that they can present on the big screen. We talk about this on Cinema Recon (movie review podcast), head on over to give a listen if you’re interested.
Some great points, thank you for sharing! Congrats on FP!
Thank you very much!!
Similar to what a few other commenters have said, Marvel has done a fantastic job of creating a unified world and creating an overall master plan, while also carrying it out well. Each individual superhero film plays well individually and with a good story, while also serving as taste of The Avengers. In many ways, it is similar to an elaborate tv series with ginormous budgets.
I’d be surprised if DC can pull off such a feat. If they can, I’ll be impressed. However, the non-Nolan films have been disappointing. It will take a strong, fast turn around to make a 2014 Justice League film work. I hope it does, because, story and character-wise, i prefer DC over Marvel. However, that’s like comparing pumpkin pie to apple pie – both are great.
Thank you for sharing
Reblogged this on DUDE*n*DIVA.