Over the past year or so there has been a batch of articles trumpeting the idea that “superhero fatigue” is setting in and the genre is in trouble. A quick look at the films from Wonder Woman to Black Panther can shed light on that.As I sat to write this piece, I thought about the idea of “superhero fatigue” and I absolutely believe the idea has merit. I am one of the biggest fans of the superhero genre. I eat it up voraciously, from the big screen films to the tv series (both Marvel and DC) and even the Netflix series. I’ve seen them all, except for Marvel’s InHumans. Here’s the thing, I am a little fatigued.

Upon deeper inspection, it isn’t the entire genre I am fatigued with. I loved almost everything I have seen since the release of Wonder Woman in early June of 2017. The film I liked the least? Justice League. And it is what Justice League is that is what I am fatigued of. It’s the big epic, destroy everything in sight, blockbuster team up. Seriously, how many times can New York or Metropolis be devastated. It’s exhausting. As I write this, we are a little over two months away from Avengers: Infinity War, and I’m actually looking forward to Deadpool 2, Aquaman, and Venom more so than what is sure to be over two hours of pure destruction. Thanos doesn’t do things half-assed.

In addition to the over-the-top destruction in the team ups, there is little time for real character development. They are just smashing things from top to bottom. It was one of the biggest failings of Justice League. No time to really get to know The Flash, Aquaman and Cyborg before they are thrust into action. It’s impossible to develop back stories in just minutes, and it’s part of the reason that Justice League is at the bottom of both the worldwide and domestic box office numbers.

Related: Official Geekiverse Review for Black Panther

I chose to focus my attentions on the time period from the release of Wonder Woman to last weekend’s record setting premiere of Marvel’s Black Panther. The reason for that time period is because I think that both studios did some trendsetting stuff with those films, that hopefully addresses the idea that people are growing fatigued of the big smash it all superhero films. I am not suggesting, in any way, that we do away with the blockbuster team-ups. Certainly, a look at the lifetime domestic box office numbers from 1978 – present show that they score big. The Avengers, Avengers: Age of Ultron, and Captain America: Civil War all land in the top 7 on that list. But while they score high, films like Wonder Woman and Black Panther are much better films. Wonder Woman, by the way, sits in the #5 slot, and Black Panther has already landed at #21 after only 6 days in theaters.

So, what’s the difference? What made these smaller films so successful? A big part of it has to do with the lead characters and the conflicts these smaller films bring. In both Wonder Woman and Black Panther, we get to spend time with the characters, learning about them, and seeing what makes them tick. There are so many delightful moments in Wonder Woman where we get to see Diana Prince experiencing something for the first time. She is a deeply layered character, who, when she leaves Themyscira, discovers a whole new world that she never imagined before. Major kudos to both Gal Gadot and Patty Jenkins for taking the time to emphasize those moments in Diana’s character development. At the end of Wonder Woman, I felt a connection to Diana more so than any other character I’ve seen in the DC universe (and most in the MCU). The goddess who never imagined she could love either a man or ice cream has a wonderful softer side that is based on more than just badassery. This is a totally different kind of film.

Fast forward to Black Panther. Lots of the same themes. T’Challa is thrust into the role of king, when his father was killed at the beginning of Civil War. It is a role he was groomed for, but certainly had not expected that soon. And there is guilt. His father died on his watch. There is the theme of the importance of family, with T’Challa’s mother and sister, Shuri, playing so heavily into the fabric of the film. There is the theme of tradition. The spectacle that is life in Wakanda is so breathtakingly incredible that it is a living, breathing part of the film. The conflict that is T-Challa’s desire to stick to the isolationist traditions upheld by his father, but also to have Wakanda be apart of the modern world are easy to see, again hat tip to Chadwick Boseman and director Ryan Coogler for bringing that all to life. Even the deep irony that, in the end, Killmonger ultimately gets what he wants, with T’Challa bringing Wakanda out of the shadows to use its resources help those that are poor and oppressed is beautifully choreographed.

Read More: Want to Read More Black Panther? Lou’s Essential Reading List is here.

That is the enormous difference between big smash ’em up films and these two. These films are beautiful, visually and emotionally. They were both a joy to watch because you can have a superhero film that addresses bigger issues and develops deep characters, without smashing everything in sight. Certainly some of the success of these two films should be attributed to having a female director direct Wonder Woman and an African- American director helm Black Panther. There is no substitute for bringing life experience to the director’s chair, and while Joss Whedon and the Russo Brothers are giants in the genre, they could not have delivered what we saw on screen from Jenkins and Coogler.

Ultimately, people vote with their wallets, and in addition to being critical successes, both films received the votes they need for this style to continue. Of all of the films released from Wonder Woman (June 2, 2017) to Black Panther (February 16, 2018) Wonder Woman leads the pack with a domestic box office of $412 million. Black Panther after only 6 days in the theater at the time of this writing has already earned over half of that, and surpassed Justice League, earning $263 million. The other super hero films released in that time period include Spider-Man: Homecoming ($334 million), Thor: Ragnarok ($314 million) and Justice League ($228 million).

Arguably, all of the Marvel films released in that time period are a little different, and they were rewarded financially for it. Tom Holland’s Spider-Man is a much different kind of hero than Marvel is used to, since they decided to make him a young Peter Parker. While Tobey Maguire’s first go at Spider-Man placed the webcrawler in high school, he certainly did not play that age anywhere near as well as Tom Holland did. (Maguire was 25ish when he played high school Peter Parker. Holland was 19.) Thor: Ragnarok‘s buddy cop comedy style was certainly a departure from the previous iterations of the God of Thunder, as well, and fans approved.

Related: The Geekiverse Official Review for Wonder Woman.

So, clearly, fans approve of this new “style”. Even Marvel Studios head, Kevin Feige pronounced Black Panther “the best movie we’ve ever made” in an interview with ABC Nightly News. Here’s hoping both studios recognize that the big boy smash ’em film, while great fun, should be used sparingly.

What did you think of Black Panther and Wonder Woman? Are they steering the super hero genre in another direction? Leave me a comment below.

The Grumpy Geek, Pete Herr is the author of “10 Things We Should Teach You In High School and Usually Don’t”. He is the oldest geek in the Geekiverse by a factor of two. Follow Pete Herr on Facebook, Twitter,and Instagram . If you don’t he gets Grumpy. You don’t want to see him Grumpy.

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