In 2023, superhero fatigue appeared to completely set in, bringing down even the Marvel Cinematic Universe as part of a genre-wide collapse that saw very few hits. It’s difficult to blame them given what they received in 2023. However, the Russo Brothers, who are well-known for their blockbuster Marvel movies such as Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Endgame, do not believe that superhero fatigue is the primary cause of the studio’s recent underwhelming performances.
Speaking to GamesRadar+ Anthony and Joseph Russo said that Marvel’s troubles are a reflection of a wider change in how people interact with stories and consume media.
“I think we’re in a transitional period and people don’t know quite yet how they’re going to receive stories moving forward, or what kinds of stories they’re going to want.”
“There’s a big generational divide about how you consume media,” Joe Russo continued.
He highlights differences in media consumption patterns between generations. Younger viewers want fast satisfaction and rapid consumption, whereas older audiences are used to planned viewing experiences at theatres.
“And so I think everyone, including Marvel, is experiencing the same thing, this transition.”
The current generation of moviegoers, according to Joe Russo, communicate mostly through memes and headlines. He said that they don’t read more than two words, therefore everything is 100 characters or fewer, like the 10-second videos swiped through on social media.
He also remarked that he believes the two-hour framework, or structure that goes into producing a movie, is almost a century old and that everything always transitions.
Continuing, he expressed his belief that the younger generation is searching for methods to share their own narratives that address a collective kind of ADHD.
Anthony Russo told GamesRadar+ that superhero fatigue isn’t exclusive to superheroes, but rather “fatigue in general.”
He emphasised that the subject of superhero fatigue existed long before the work they were doing. He described it as a kind of “eternal complaint,” pointing out that they used to constantly bring up this in their early days of working on superhero projects.
Amidst the surge in focus on comic book films, actors such as Paul Dano (The Batman) expressed to the Independent that they hope that these unpredictable times would lead to new directions in cinematic storytelling.
Joseph Quinn, who is getting ready to join the MCU as the new Fantastic Four, told Entertainment Weekly that he is still upbeat about the project and focuses on the unique storyline and talent involved.
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