The Superhero Genre Is Dead

Superheroes have dominated cinema for almost twenty years - but no genre dominates entertainment forever.

[sonoftherabbitpeople]

It's always a great tragedy when geek culture becomes mainstream. It becomes dumber, sillier, and over-exposed until it is dead, and all the while, a lot less cool.

[alexcool]

I hope original movies will be making a comeback

[Pondimus_Maximus]

Hollywood’s idea of a hero, as opposed to everyone else’s idea, are completely at odds. Until this crop of studio heads, writers, and producers are gone, there will be no fixing it. These people cannot help themselves.

[ecmpinho]

The genre didn't fade. Incompetent people replaced talented ones, producing bad content with problems in visual effects, screenplay, acting and writing.

[ajc]

Disney has poisoned their own well. They really deserve this.

[nathanseper]

We hope to see a generation of filmmakers rise who will give filmgoers the movies they want once these oversold franchises collapse in on themselves.

[davidcatlett]

Thank you for mentioning identity politics and how longtime fans can feel and have been actively antagonized in certain cases rather unfairly.

[TheLuhya]

At first I was going to comment on how superhero movies are only dead when the fans and critics continue to contribute to the discourse of a dying industry and so-called poor/failed movies, but I really appreciated the thoughtful essay here. As a historian, I have been interested in how movies are reflections of American culture and I had always wondered what superhero movies say about our moment in time. What stood out to me in this video are your comments on how they reflect identity politics and political division. I think historians will likewise make that connection in the future looking back to the productions of today. Thanks for the upload

[barrankobama]

It's always mind-blowing for me that in America Mangas became a mainstream thing, a generational relevant one, in the 2000s.
In Italy or France the generation that grew up with anime and manga is the one who was teen in the 80's.

[RAZPUTN]

The superhero genre isn't dead. The tone of it it is, what's "killing" superhero genres are the jokes and goofiness in it. The History is repeating it self, just like Batman forever or Batman and Robin

[Natgunner]

I don’t think any particular genre is going to dominate Cinema over the next decade or two. I think instead we’re going to see something more akin to an artistic movement or style kind of like film noire dominate film and tv for a bit. What exactly this will be like, I don’t know.

[troffle]

This... is... beautiful.
I've run across idiots in comments who say things like "saying we can't analyse an old book from our modern perspective is stupid. Why else would we have literature classes?"... and I had to explain "go back to school and beg your teacher's forgiveness, you fool. Why did you not for a moment think of understanding a different culture through a book of that culture?".

The beginning of this video alone is such a perfect illustration - the context of an era expressed in a directly comprehensible manner through the artifact of the movies of the time.

Thank you. Thank you for holding out some hope that stupidity hasn't completely overtaken YouTube. Thank you so dearly much.

[TheSithConspiracy]

On one hand I'm sad in a way since I'm a superhero fan, but on the other hand I'm excited for what's next for cinema.

[samuelmackenzie]

If I recall, the early 2000’s went through a fantasy boom with the lotrs trilogy, Harry Potter series, Narnia series, and many solo fantasy movies that failed to start a franchise.

[tjimicole]

Forget about the superhero stuff, I particularly like your observation on what might be the next big emotional rallying point for American cinema (and by default, world cinema) - the underlying tension within America itself.

*Rubs hands together expectantly, but expects to wait at least another 10 years…*

[AlBQuirky]

Thanks for this insightful look at "the past decades" and what drove entertainment in the past. Well done, well said, and well articulated :)
(from someone who lived through most of those decades (60's onwards.))

[chorchalvarez]

Major problem is the sagas are endless. This is cinema, it needs to end in some point.

[radamesrivera]

If they respect the source material, video game movies can make great films

[owengrace]

The problem isn’t the fact that they’re superhero movies. The problem is the lack of heart. Iron Man still holds up. Guardians is fantastic. They are movies that’s people can relate to while being their own thing. Superhero movies and TV today take no risks and are very corporately made.
Ironically Amazons superhero shows don’t feel like products. They’re fresh and unique. Invincible has probably the most standard superpowers. But how they portray his powers and conflict is what makes it interesting. He messes up. He fails. He gets the shit kicked out of himself time and time again but he never gives up.
Daredevil show still holds up. It’s a compelling story with complex characters outside of the great action. Matt is a lawyer who is also a vigilante. A catholic who enjoys taking his rage out on people. A blind man who can fight. The character alone has all these contradictions that make him compelling and make him feel real. The Disney + show won’t be as good. Not because it’ll be toned down in its graphic content, but because they don’t have the skill to just write a human story with nuance.

[charliebronson]

Anyone remember, when Comic Books belonged to nerds? We were the outcasts, the loners. Nobody liked us and we used theses characters to live vicariously through. It got us through our young and teenage years. Early 20's even. Now it's just factory manufactured swill. This, Star Wars, Lord Of The Rings all poached from the enjoyment they were. Now they're weaponized to pursuit an agenda. Shame.