These days, there is certainly no shortage of superhero offerings.
Between the defunct DCEU, the impending DCU, the ever-popular MCU, Sony’s Spider-Man Universe, and various other superhero endeavors — including The Boys, Invincible, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and so many more — fans of world-ending threats and mind-bending powers are living the dream.
With an oversaturated market comes broad fatigue, however, and superhero fatigue is at an all-time high. This was recently confirmed by James Gunn himself, who currently boasts one of the more impressive superhero resumes out there, between his work on the MCU’s Guardians franchise and his recent move to the DCU.
Speaking of Guardians of the Galaxy, the impending release of Vol. 3 is ramping up both excitement and fear among fans of the franchise. Trailers for the film promise another delightful outing for the team of misfits, but fans have some major, overarching concerns about the threequel.
Not nearly so many as fans of DC’s cinematic universe, however. The wrought franchise has experienced many, many ups and downs over the years, but James Gunn’s takeover is pushing things in a more optimistic direction. Despite this — and high praise among Warner Bros. top executives for The Flash — the remains of abandoned favorites continue to haunt the franchise. The very same acclaim heaped on films like The Flash is only serving to irritate much of the DC fanbase, as they wonder why films like the canceled Batgirl didn’t get their day in the sun.
Batgirl defenders lash out over ongoing praise for The Flash
Praise and skepticism continue to go to war in the leadup to The Flash’s release, as complaints about the film’s CGI — and the presence of the controversial Ezra Miller — weigh the flick down, even as high praise from James Gunn and Warner Bros. executives works to raise it up.
Once it arrives in theaters, audiences can decide if the film actually earned all that praise, but in the meantime its giving salty would-be Batgirl fans yet another opportunity to defend the ill-fated film. Batgirl was canceled right around the time the DCEU turned into the DCU, despite being a largely completed project, and viewers who hoped to see Leslie Grace’s take on Barbara Gordon aren’t letting its demise go lightly.
James Gunn recognizes the ever-encroaching relevance of superhero fatigue
It’s a great time to be a superhero fan, but even the most ardent superhero stans can admit the market is a bit oversaturated at the moment. There are a baffling number of superhero offerings drenching the market at the moment, with a fresh superhero release hitting televisions or the big screen almost every month. Even James Gunn — who’s behind one of the most anticipated superhero releases of the year, and recently became the new head of DC Studios — can admit that fans are getting sick of ceaseless superhero releases, but he’s hoping they make some exceptions. He noted, in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, that this fatigue is largely the result of “way too many superhero movies lately that don’t have that center to them.”
Fans share their biggest fears ahead of Guardians Vol. 3 release
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is one of the most anticipated releases of the year, but increasingly concerning trailers have some fans eyeing the film’s theatrical release with trepidation, as they consider all the bad things that could happen over the course of its two and a half hour runtime. Major concerns of a shoehorned romance, dramatic scenes ruined by pointless humor, and an unexpected — and absolutely unforgivable — character death all top most fan lists as they look ahead to the Guardians finale.
