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Ever since the Marvel Cinematic Universe wrapped up its Infinity Saga with 2019’s “Avengers: End Game,” the world of comic book films just hasn’t been quite the same. With sales and reviews of comic book-related films on the decline in recent years, specifically Marvel produced films, the media has come to blame the poor outings on “superhero fatigue.” But is this a fair assessment? And can the highly anticipated upcoming “Deadpool & Wolverine” be the answer to the answer that theaters (and fans) have been looking for?
Post ‘Infinity War’ Films
Before a proper analysis be made, it’s important to take a look at what has has happened in the MCU since “Avengers: End Game.” Phase Three of the MCU wrapped up with 2019’s “Spider-Man: Far From Home,” which acted as a post-script to “End Game.” Doing well with critics and fans alike, and racking up sizable box office, “Far From Home” showed promise that fans were still on board with the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
2021’s “Black Widow’s” box office was muddled by COVID, and Marvel’s plan to also release it digitally via their Premier Access on Disney+, but reviews were decent enough to consider it success. “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” followed later that year, and while it was a moderate financial success for a Marvel film, it scored 92% on Rotten Tomatoes, making it a big success critically.
“Eternal’s” was Marvel’s first big miss, and though it more than doubled its budget, it was met with a pretty low 47% on Rotten Tomatoes. It was around this time that the phrasing of “superhero fatigue” was starting to be batted around. However, Marvel hit it out of the park with its fourth film 2021, with “Spider-Man: No Way Home” earning $1.923 billion and scoring a 93% on Rotten Tomatoes, disproving any fatigue theories.
Sam Raimi’s “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” proved that Marvel fans were OK with the studio going a bit dark with their films, with the horror-skewing movie taking in nearly $1 billion at the box office and scoring with fairly positive reviews from fans and critics. It was the first MCU film, however, that required viewers to have watched a Disney+ series to fully understand it. “WandaVision” was required watching, which didn’t sit well with some people (more on Disney’s streaming series in a bit).
Phase Four of the MCU wrapped up with “Thor: Love and Thunder” and “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” in 2022, and while both were financial successes, only “Wakanda Forever” was met favorably by audiences, scoring an 83% on Rotten Tomatoes, compared to “Love and Thunder’s” 63%.
So far, Phase Five has been a mixed bag. “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” was a dud both financially and critically, “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” was pretty successful for the studio, bringing in $845.6 million and scoring an 82% on Rotten Tomatoes, and “The Marvel’s” was the first box-office bomb and the lowest-grossing film of the MCU franchise, losing $67.1 million and scoring only a 62% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Disney Streaming Series
Phase Four may have seen seven theatrical releases, but it also saw eight MCU series that streamed on Disney+. If there is any validity for the “superhero’ fatigue’ claims, it’s possible that may stem from the abundance of MCU series being put out. The shows in Phase Four consisted of “WandaVision,” “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier,” “Loki,” “What If…?,” “Hawkeye,” “Moon Knight,” “Ms. Marvel,” and “She-Hulk: Attorney at Law,” with Rotten Tomato scores favorable for most. “Ms. Marvel” saw an astonishing 98%, with “She-Hulk: Attorney at Law” at a low but respectable 77%.
Like Phase Five of the films, Phase Five of the streaming series has been a bit more varied. “Secret Invasion” only has a 53% on Rotten Tomatoes, “Loki” season 2 is holding strong at 82%, “What If…?” is at 89%, and “Echo” is at 71%.
Pre-Disney Deadpool
2016’s “Deadpool”was a smash hit for 20th Century Fox, bringing in $782.8 million on a $58 million budget, an impressive feat for an R-rated film, with rave reviews from critics and fans alike. Like Disney did with “Guardians of the Galaxy,” Fox proved that a great script can go a long way when trying to market characters that are not that well known outside of the comic book community. The box office for “Deadpool 2” was equally impressive, making $785.8 million and scoring an 84% on Rotten Tomatoes.
With the acquisition of 20th Century Fox, Disney is now in a position to capitalize on the wild success of the Deadpool franchise. “Deadpool & Wolverine” will also be the studio’s first R-rated film in its 100 year history (Disney has released R-rated film’s under its subsidiary studios like Miramax and Touchstone Pictures), which could limit its potential box office. However, “Deadpool & Wolverine” may also be one of the most anticipated films in recent history, and if the franchise’s history has proven, an R-rating does not keep people away from the theaters.
So, is ‘Superhero Fatigue’ Real?
There are obviously many other comic book-related films released outside of the MCU. However, for every “Joker” and “Logan,” there is ”Madam Web” and the “Hellboy” reboot. If any franchise is going to best represent the production of superhero-related projects, it’s the MCU, so it’s safe to use Marvel/Disney as a lipnis test.
Based on the success of films such as “Spider-Man: No Way Home” and “Deadpool 2,” it would seem that making a film that truly connects with the audiences will still bring fans to the theaters. The MCU history has proven that good films earn big bucks, and sub-par films do not. So, no, there is no real fatigue, so long as the studio is producing a quality product. However, it seems safe to say that the hype surrounding a film like “Avengers: End Game” seems to be a thing of the past. That said, “Deadpool & Wolverine” has the potential to beat “Joker’s” $1.079 billion box office, so if “superhero fatigue” does in fact exist, this is the film that could put it to rest.