Does superhero fatigue really exist? The Marvels director Nia DaCosta certainly seems to think so. The Marvels, a sequel to the 2019 billion-dollar hit Captain Marvel and an indirect sequel to Disney+ shows WandaVision, Ms. Marvel, and Secret Invasion, is set to debut in theaters this November. Brie Larson will reprise her role as Carol Danvers, a.k.a. Captain Marvel, this time accompanied by Iman Vellani’s Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel and Teyonah Parris’ Monica Rambeau. The Marvels represents something of a rarity for the Marvel Cinematic Universe—it’s a team-up movie that doesn’t bring together the entire Avengers roster or deal with the immediate threat of multiversal collapse.
In an exclusive interview with Total Film, DaCosta acknowledged that there has been a recent shift in how superhero movies are perceived, and added, “I think superhero fatigue absolutely exists.” Her MCU entry, however, will try to avoid that particular brand of fatigue by being extra “wacky, and silly,” and by visiting bright, colorful new worlds never seen before in Marvel’s onscreen universe.
The Marvels is certain to be a fun film. Danvers’ dynamic with Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury was an absolute highlight of Captain Marvel, and that dynamic will feature in this upcoming sequel, as well. Not only that, but the movie’s central gimmick of Carol, Monica, and Kamala constantly switching places whenever they use their powers is sure to land them in some hilarious and unfortunate situations, and the return of Goose the Flerken (and hundreds of baby Flerkens) is definitely something to look forward to. This movie has a lot going for it, but whether it will be able to beat the allegations of “superhero fatigue” remains to be seen.
I am of the belief that the superhero genre isn’t being shunned in its entirety—you only have to look at the recent box office success of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 to know that’s not an accurate reading of the situation. I do, however, firmly believe that general audiences not as invested in the entirety of the MCU are less likely to see any new Marvel projects if all they’re hearing about them is that they’re “mid,” or about to flop about the box office. Projects like Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and Secret Invasion have let both diehard MCU fans and general audiences down in terms of quality, trying to cram too much story into too little time.
A couple of unfortunate productions, however, don’t necessarily mean the MCU is dead in the water, or that the superhero boom is about to bust. Some claim that the MCU should have ended after Avengers: Endgame, but then we would have missed out on stories like WandaVision, Loki, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Hawkeye, Spider-Man: No Way Home, Wakanda Forever, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, and dare I say it, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. (Yes, I enjoyed it immensely. No, I will not elaborate.) A few bad apples don’t mean the entire bushel is suddenly tainted.
Nia DaCosta is right in thinking that fun, wacky, goofy movies can flourish in the MCU. The Guardians trilogy has always combined moments of pure, unadulterated humor with some of the MCU’s most emotional content. Thor: Ragnarok managed the same—but then Thor: Love and Thunder took its silliness one step too far. In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it’s all about balance. Some might say they’re sick and tired of joke-filled MCU movies, but that all depends on the jokes and when they appear. If DaCosta, who has proven herself to be an innovative filmmaker, can find the right balance, then The Marvels can thrive as much as James Gunn’s final Guardians movie or Miles Morales’ latest animated adventure.
(via Total Film, featured image: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
