Image: DC Studios
As of this writing, there are four superhero movies to watch out for: “The Fantastic Four: First Steps,” ‘Thunderbolts,” “Superman” (2025), and “Captain America: Brave New World,” the latter being already shown on our side of the world. Expect an entertainment article/analysis of that from me soon because I have seen it already.
Of the other three I have listed in the first paragraph, the one I am most excited about is “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” because it feels like a completely new introduction to a decades-old comic book property. “The Fantastic Four” has had four previous iterations, and none of them truly felt like a definitive movie for several reasons that are hard to miss or overlook. This will be THE ONE that everyone should watch because, wow, to finally see Marvel’s First Family in all their glory, in their element, and their true selves means a lot to everyone — not only to lifelong comic book collectors and readers like myself but also to all the artists who drew these characters in Marvel Comics and to the fans. Everyone has waited for this moment, and here it is. Plus, Galactus — what else needs to be said? This is one upcoming superhero-themed movie you can expect a lot from.
With that said, on a much more general note, the reason I believe everyone should set their expectations is that if you assume all these movies are the greatest you will ever watch, you will surely be disappointed. You have to consider the superhero or superheroes they are based on, among other factors. While they may be great at the time of watching, there will likely be new superhero-themed movies or remakes that surpass their overall quality or try to do much better in the future. One clear objective of these types of movies is to aim to be the best they can be.
Yes, the state of superhero movies is nearing a point of fatigue for many moviegoers. Still, the biggest comic book properties in history, such as The Fantastic Four and Superman, will always attract attention, and rightfully so. The problems began after 2019 with “Avengers: Endgame,” which felt like the pinnacle and fitting conclusion for the MCU. Thanos has always been the greatest threat to mankind and the universe, so when the ultimate villain is defeated once and for all, questions naturally arise. Let us not forget that this was the biggest gathering of superheroes from Marvel Studios. Whenever you bring everyone together to stop the worst threat ever, it feels like a mission accomplished at that stage.
So, what’s next after that?
You are left to deal with the leftovers: the scraps, inferior superheroes, supervillains, and weaker storylines, which has been the case lately. Indeed, when you reach the top, it plateaus, dips, and then descends in a downward spiral. Another factor is that the children and teens who grew up watching the prime era of the MCU are now older, and many have outgrown their interest in it. For them, they have already seen the best, and that is largely true.
This has been going on for maybe far too long without hitting enough big box-office hits. Think about it: how many phases have there been in the MCU so far? We are currently in Phase 5, and with each phase, there are several movies, shows, and streaming programs. This has made for a packed few years per phase in the MCU, but they will eventually run out of comic book properties to adapt. They may have reached the bottom of the barrel and even scraped it to find any remaining superheroes yet to be made into a live-action remake.
Looking back, when the MCU and DCEU started, they immediately focused their attention on the A-list superheroes and supervillains in their respective rosters. Naturally, they aimed to target these globally recognized characters first and then work their way down to the lesser-known ones. On the downside, once moviegoers see the most popular characters, their memory of the B-list and more obscure characters may diminish, leading to fewer people wanting to watch those movies because, in their minds, they have already seen the best the movie studio has to offer.
On a lesser point, but often overlooked despite its importance, is the expectation of whether a superhero movie will be good, which depends on the writers, producers, and directors. If the work of these individuals behind the camera is proven to be great, moviegoers can expect more from what they will be watching. But if their track record is poor or subpar, the results will likely be the same, and who wants that? No one, of course. That is why movie studios aim to hire the best writers and directors, as it is largely in their capable or incapable hands that the success of a superhero movie will be determined. Additionally, it has been proven that if these individuals are comic book readers or fans of these comic book characters, they will exponentially make the movie much better than expected because they know the origin, personality, battles, beginnings, and powers of the characters.
They (writers, producers, and directors) must be informed, knowledgeable, qualified, equipped, and ready to meet the expectations of the general movie-going public. Unfortunately, many moviegoers lack sufficient knowledge about the superhero films they watch, which is why they often rely on these movies to fill in the gaps and bring them up to speed. The reality is that many of these moviegoers have either barely read the comic books or have never read them at all, leaving them with little information about the films. Essentially, they only have a general overview or idea. It will be the movies that provide them with everything they need to know.
On another note, you cannot generalize or categorize all types of superheroes and supervillains from the MCU and the DCEU into one bundle because they do not belong to the same publisher, company, or entity. While some may share similarities, most are quite different. If you are familiar with these comic book characters from the beginning, you will know what to expect even before you enter the cinema, and this will set your expectation level.
More on this, if the comic book it was based on was boring, uninteresting, and did not sell well, then you can bet the movie adaptation will be no different, and in most cases, it will be much worse. Lame superheroes do not translate well to the big screen. We have seen many of them, and there will always be a few of them. It is normal to happen.
There is so much I can say about the three other upcoming aforementioned superhero-themed movies, but I do not want to dampen the spirit of moviegoers who will watch them, and I certainly do not want to overly excite anyone. Just balance your expectations for every superhero-themed movie because that is the best thing you can do right now.