James Gunn Talks ‘Superhero Fatigue’ Whispers in Movie Fans

From the 2008 movie Iron man in theaters, the Marvel train went full steam ahead, making films that integrated into the bigger picture and fans were thrilled to consume each chapter. DC hasn’t had so much fun making blockbuster movies, but they’ve also come up with several fun and exciting movies, and the future of superhero movies at DC looks bright with the director James Gunn leading the charge in the studio. But are fans still as hungry for superhero movies as we were in the past?

In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, James Gunn spoke about the declining box office numbers on recent blockbuster superhero movies, stating:

“I think there is such a thing as superhero fatigue. I think it has nothing to do with superheroes. It has to do with the kind of stories that are being told, and if you lose sight of the ball, that is character. We love Superman. We love Batman. We love Iron Man. Because it’s these incredible characters that we hold in our hearts. And if it becomes just a bunch of nonsense on the screen, it gets really boring. But I’m tired of most spectacular films, of the struggle of not having an emotionally grounded story. It has nothing to do with whether or not they are superhero movies. If you don’t have a story behind it, just watching things hit each other, no matter how clever those attack moments, no matter how clever the designs and visual effects, it just gets tiresome, and I think that’s a lot, very real.”

I think that is very true. The best movies are the ones with stories you’ve never heard before, with twists, with humanity and heart. Without a solid story to tell, nobody cares about virtual effects. Gunn has done a great job at both DC and Marvel of telling great stories about the human (or alien or superhuman) condition. I can’t wait to find out more.