Has the superhero genre of television, streaming, and movies finally run its course? No matter what media form you consume, there are superheros everywhere. The amount of media networks that have some sort of comic book character based show is off the charts and has to be the most on screen time these characters ever had since comic books have been around. With shows like CW’s The Flash and Arrow, Netflix’s DareDevil and Jessica Jones, Freeform’s Cloak and Dagger, Hulu’s Runaways, The entire DC Universe Streaming service with Titans, Doom Patrol, and Swamp Thing is superhero fatigue finally setting in? Are there just too many shows that it’s too overwhelming?
While many will shake their heads, let’s look at some facts. The easiest one to bring up is that Netflix has cancelled all their Marvel shows. Why would Netflix cancel such shows that fans seem to want to keep going? Maybe Netflix has seen something in the numbers that we don’t. Why else cancel them?
Then there is DC Universe. The streaming service has released hits like Titans and Doom Patrol, but have already cancelled Swamp Thing before the second episode was even released. While they will be airing the entire season, fans should not expect a second one. From the cancellation of Swamp Thing rumors started to spread that DC Universe isn’t making the cut on its numbers and may move its more popular shows to CW and forfeit its service altogether.
CW is even cancelling its flagship “Arrowverse” show, Arrow. The show has been on air for 7 seasons and will call it a quits after 10 more episodes. Could this be the start of the Arrowverse coming to an end? Possibly. CW, though, is bringing a show to “replace” Arrow… maybe? Ruby Rose will be taking up the cowl and play Batwoman in the new CW series, but is it too little too late? People already have expressed that they fear the show is going to be terrible and believe the trailers confirm it. If it tanks in its inaugural season, are the rest of the CW shows not far behind? Only time will tell.
Everything mentioned has been either on TV or internet streaming, but what about the movies? Are they not included in this superhero fatigue? No, they are. Dark Phoenix was released a little over a week ago and was met with poor numbers right out of the gate. Maybe the Disney/Fox merger caused this dismal performance and post production woes on the film and that is only one out of over 25+ other superhero movies (DC and Marvel combined).
Fans have dedicated over 10 years and 22 movies to the MCU and Phase 3 is about to end with Spider-Man: Far From Home in July. With the end of an era of superhero movies, are fans ready to endure another 10 year run of an over arching story line? At the very least, it’s a huge commitment and its very possible a large chunk of people could tap out before we get all the way through.
While I believe that the superhero genre on the big and little screen maybe coming to a close sooner than later, I am still a big fan of all of the shows mentioned in this article. I would love to see these movies keep being made during my lifetime and will continually give them my money to go an see it, I just don’t think the general public is as on board with these universes as I am and it will cause the decline of the super hero universes we have grown to love, but everything must eventually come to an end. When that end comes, I hope there is a 10 year revival and it starts all over again for another generation.
