Tom Hanks Says Superhero Fatigue is Real: “‘We’ve Had 20 Years of Comic Book Movies [...] I've Seen That Already"

Last year, James Gunn admitted that “superhero fatigue” was real, and that the industry was in the middle of figuring out what to do about it. For his sake, I hope they do find a solution because he has his pricey ‘Superman’ coming out next summer.

Gunn’s reasoning for the ‘fatigue’ had to do with the MCU and DCU losing track of the “character” aspect in their movies, and not getting audiences emotionally invested in the stories. He added that the drought started after 2019’s “Avengers: Endgame.”

Tom Hanks shares Gunn’s theory (via ComicBookMovie). The actor believes that we’ve had “20 years” of these movies and that many audiences have moved on …

“I think there was a period of time, and I felt that way too, where we would see these fantastic movies either DC or MCU in order to see these better versions of ourselves. ‘God, I feel like an X-Man sometimes. I’m as confused as Spider-Man. I’m as angry as Batman is and I love my country as much as Captain America. I would like to emulate all those guys.’ I think we’ve been down that road and had probably 20 years, 15 years, to explore that kind of thing and now I think we’re in an evolutionary place of, ‘And the story is what? And the theme is what? And the point of this movie is what?'”

He continues, “That’s a good challenge for any filmmaker, it might just not land in the roundhouse for the industry. The industry often says, ‘Well, this works and it will work again.’ The audience is far ahead of it. They see the familiar and say, ‘I’ve seen that already. What’s next?’ It’s not just eye-popping stuff, it’s what’s the story? Tell me about myself. We’re in new territory.”

The term “superhero fatigue” was coined to address the lack of enthusiasm for Marvel and DC movies, and particularly their underperformance at the box-office. It’s an argument that’s been prevalent in the pandemic-era, and for good reason. You might have a “Deadpool & Wolverine” become this monstrous success, but then there’s “The Marvels,” “Eternals,” ‘Ant-Man 3,’ “The Flash,” “Thor: Love and Thunder,” “Blue Beetle,” ‘Shazam 2,’ and “Black Adam” all underperforming.

If you look at the above underperforming titles, what do they all have in common? They sucked. That’s what links all of them up. They all had awful stories, writing and lacked originality. So many of them I personally couldn’t watch to the end. They have become commodities with no passion or real effort put into them. Maybe the smartest way for Marvel and DC to combat “superhero fatigue” would be to make an actual good movie.

Next year’s slate of superhero movies include “Superman,” “Captain America: Brave New World,” “Fantastic Four: The First Steps,” and “Thunderbolts.” Which of these titles will actually deliver the goods? If I had to bet, maybe only Gunn’s “Superman.”