Dallas Might Be Feeling "Superhero Fatigue" at the Movies

Based on current projections, 2025 will be the first year since 2011 in which the top ten highest-grossing films of the year will not include an installment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It’s possible that it won’t include any superhero films at all — while Superman has earned a hefty $580 million globally, it may fall behind highly anticipated fall titles like Avatar: Fire and Ash, Zootopia 2, and Wicked: For Good.

It’s a significant difference from the late 2010s, in which Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame both grossed over $2 billion globally, with the latter briefly snatching the title of “highest-grossing film ever” from Avatar. Beyond their commercial success, superhero films were also at the epicenter of culture, with both Black Panther and Joker earning major Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture.

So far, 2025 has offered a grim assessment of where the genre stands, as well-received films like Thunderbolts* and The Fantastic Four: First Steps struggled to connect beyond their core audience of fans. Dallas alone has seen numerous publicity screenings and comic conventions, but these events may not have reached more “casual” viewers who lack pre-existing knowledge of the comics.

It would seem plausible that a shift away from superhero movies is imminent in a time when audiences seem to be craving more original ideas — including breakout films and TV shows being made right here in our backyard.

Perhaps “superhero fatigue” was inevitable, as Hollywood has seen prominent genres like westerns, star-studded musicals and disaster films rise and fall over the years. Film culture has understandably taken a hit from the combined damage of COVID-19, the SAG-AFTRA strike and the rise of streaming services, all of which disrupted production schedules and encouraged viewers to wait to see films at home. The finances of Hollywood have also not been aided by the growing restrictions in the Chinese market, which has been responsible for a sizable portion of superhero movies’ profits.

Texas, meanwhile, is taking on a bigger role in the industry, thanks, in part, to financial incentives from the state legislature to attract film and television production to come here. It doesn't seem so far-fetched to surmise that as film appetites are changing, so are the long-running industry standards.

The decline in enthusiasm for superhero films isn’t limited to finances, though, as critical sentiments have been similarly muted within the past half-decade. 2019’s Avengers: Endgame had served as the concluding chapter of the first era of the Marvel universe that began with 2008’s Iron Man, and offered an emotional sendoff to the beloved cast of characters. However, the lack of a uniting narrative has made it challenging for Marvel to gain the same traction for its subsequent projects. The growing inter-connectivity of the original Disney+ shows has made the franchise nearly impenetrable to an average audience member who did not do the “homework” of catching up with previous releases.

Although Marvel has still pulled off a few hits, they’ve only been able to rely on established characters; the sequels Spider-Man: No Way Home and Deadpool & Wolverine both cruised to over $1 billion, but put a heavy emphasis on nostalgia and received press due to the nostalgia for returning characters. Other sequels weren’t so lucky, as Captain America: Brave New World, Ant-Man & the Wasp: Quantumania and Thor: Love and Thunder all performed significantly below expectations. Although 2019’s Captain Marvel was a $1 billion hit, its 2023 sequel, The Marvels, made a measly $200 million, becoming the lowest-grossing entry in the franchise’s history.

It didn’t help that the franchise lacked a beloved actor like Robert Downey Jr. to pump up excitement for the upcoming slate; the tragic death of Chadwick Boseman robbed Marvel of its next potential superstar, and Jonathan Majors’ role as the villain Kang was taken out amidst his ongoing assault trial.

If Marvel fumbled after reaching the height of popular culture, DC Studios sank to a new low, leading to a radically reimagined direction. Although DC had attempted to initiate a Marvel-style universe beginning with 2013’s Man of Steel, scathing reviews prevented it from taking off. Eventually, 2022 saw James Gunn being named as the new head of DC Studios, which scrapped its entire slate in favor of a new franchise, beginning with this year’s Superman. While the optimistic new take on the Man of Tomorrow managed to win over skeptics, DC is still recovering from the successive bombs like Black Adam, Shazam! Fury of the Gods and Joker: Folie à Deux.

The good news is that the blows suffered by superhero fatigue are not a sign of the end times for the blockbuster market. This year saw F1 becoming one of the biggest original films of all-time, Mission: Impossible- The Final Reckoning giving a swan song to Tom Cruise’s action franchise and word-of-mouth genre films like Sinners, Weapons and 28 Years Later benefiting from strong reviews. It’s unlikely that superhero films will disappear, but for now, they may have fallen out of the spotlight.