Recently, I was at a party with some friends, none of whom I would consider to be film fans. In the middle of talking about our fantasy leagues, the subject suddenly turned to the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday. All of my friends were incredibly excited for it, and knew way more about it than I did. And in that conversation, it struck me that these Marvel films have been major, popular films for close to two decades now. I thought to myself, how can it be that people are still this deeply invested in a bunch of costumed bodybuilders flying and punching all over the place?
As a byproduct of superhero films having been so dominant for so long, this is a subject that has been talked about. A lot. But, instead of looking at why they are successful, I instead want to look at why we still care.
So what’s appealing about superhero movies in the first place? Simply put, they appeal to the fantasy and dreams of the average person: super abilities, heroics, adventure, spectacle, romance, and risk, to name a few. Superhero stories also are full of everyday heroics, relatable themes, sociocultural issues, and classic story themes/structures. Superheroes are modern cultural icons, reminiscent of cultural heroes of the past, such as Gilgamesh or Odysseus. To focus more on the film aspect, they draw inspiration from visual art with years of established stories, characters, tropes, and visual styles. This makes the jump from page to screen a bit more accessible for filmmakers.
Still though, how have superhero films specifically been able to dominate so much? And why now? Plenty of other film genres have all of these things. Like it or not, America is, and has been, in a very divisive and complicated sociopolitical state for several decades. During difficult times, the people turn to fantasy stories because they offer escapism, fantasy, hope, and/or a safe way to talk about big issues. This practice dates back a long time, even to the ancient Greeks, whose theatre would often have highly topical subject matters. An example of this is in the play The Bacchae, by Euripides. The play has themes of divine law versus mortal law, man versus nature, multiculturalism, and xenophobia, all of which were major concerns or topics in ancient Greek society. For a more modern example, following the Second World War, the Lord of the Rings books became popular, which focus more on the escapism and hope that fantasy offers audiences during divisive times. 2025’s Superman film had themes of anti-nationalism, critiques of Middle Eastern conflict and US involvement. Issues of the time are often reflected in works of that time, whether more blatant or more obscured.
Other genres can be topical, relevant, or offer plenty of escapism, but superhero movies remain special for how they are able to do it. These films are able to make social issues marketable and more importantly, accessible, for all ages and demographics. Kids and adults can both enjoy the action and spectacle, while adults may get more out of the film from a literary or thematic standpoint. Another key difference between superhero films and other films is that the characters are already pre-established cultural icons. Audiences know who Spider-Man is, and they will go into the movie already sympathizing with the character and understanding what to expect from the movie. Studios' use of big-name stars also helps bring in a larger audience, because those unfamiliar with a character or property may recognize the names attached, and therefore gain some interest.
All this having been said, superhero movies are far from guaranteed successes. In truth, they are risky films to make. They require higher budgets for special effects, and the precedent set by Marvel over the past decade pressures studios to put together star-studded casts (which means that these films are even more expensive). The ambition of these films can also be damning. Following the massive success of Avengers: Endgame, Marvel Studios put out several films that featured less known characters, such as Shang-Chi, or would rush projects to meet deadlines. Such was the case for the Black Widow film, which had noticeably shoddy special effects work and writing issues that damaged the reputation that Marvel had spent years building. And, as Marvel Studios began to push for limited series and television shows, it further alienated and complicated audiences.
The “cinematic universe” strategy, beginning most prominently in Marvel’s Iron Man films, was one of the studio’s biggest strengths—but also one of its biggest drawbacks. Certainly a very ambitious strategy. Other action film franchises exist, but usually follow the same characters or roles, namely, 007 films or the Fast and Furious franchise. With the cinematic universe format, a film can come out with no shared characters, but an implied connection to other films, whether details from those other films are referenced or not. As more and more projects came out, more and more films became required viewing so that the audience would have context for the new films. After Marvel found massive success, its rival DC Comics attempted something similar with Zack Snyder’s Justice League, but ultimately failed. When it works, the cinematic universe format can be extremely lucrative, opening the door for logical crossover films, sequels, and experimentation that don’t feel like a stretch or damage to the original source material.
Where Marvel started to fail in its own format was over-saturation, as alluded to earlier. Too many projects, in both television and film format, and with less popular characters that required audiences to watch a backlog of films to understand. Understandably, they got a bit too big for their britches.
So how is Marvel on top of the film world again, and how did DC climb back from the ashes and re-establish themselves? They focused on making fewer but larger projects, with more beloved characters. Spider-Man: Brand New Day and Superman are perfect examples of this.
I'm still able to remember when I was a little kid, and I saw a Spider-Man movie for the very first time. It blew me away. And I remember my own father enjoying it just like me. Now, I remember why these movies matter to people, and why they matter to me.
So, like the stories of the heroes themselves, the superhero film will live on to fight another day. But, of course, we must remember that for every hero we see on screen, there are a hundred more real-life heroes that made that possible. Whether you love these films or you love to hate them, the truth is that these films create a lot of work for a lot of artists, whether it be costume design, special effects, extra work, or more. For all the hard workers and artists who make these films possible, I, and many others, thank you.
