“Superhero Burnout”: What Howard Marvel Fans Want to See Next

Marvel’s newest and upcoming projects. (Courtesy/Marvel Studios)

As Marvel Studios prepares for its next wave of releases from December 2024 through May 2027, three Howard students await with hesitant, critical optimism.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an ongoing series of films and TV shows set in the same universe. As of July 2024, the studio composed 34 films and 11 shows, building a following that continues to expand since the release of “Iron Man” in 2008. However, since the release of “Avengers: Endgame” in 2019, fans have expressed disinterest in the franchise for varying reasons.

“My current relationship with the MCU is a little rocky,” said Devin Griffin, a senior computer science major. “I’m not that excited to watch everything that comes out like I was pre-Endgame. There are still some movies and Disney+ shows that I haven’t seen and don’t really care to.” 

The MCU is known for redefining the franchise, and its movies typically chart in the top three or four spots in highest-grossing films annually. However, according to Time, in 2023, “Barbie,” “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” and “Oppenheimer” outgrossed both “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” and “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,” with “Quantumania” ranking at No. 10 for the year.

According to Forbes, “The Marvels,” which was released in November 2023, earned an estimated $47 million at the domestic box office, which is considered the worst opening in the history of the MCU. 

Tiara Sealy, an English major, said it is difficult to watch Marvel shows when they first come out because there is a lot to catch up to.

“I think that [Marvel’s content production] could cause burnout among audiences. A lot of the movies such as ‘Avengers’ would come out every year, so people would have to wait for the next thing,” she said. “Although what they’re doing with series such as ‘Loki’ and ‘WandaVision’ is interesting, it can make Marvel less interesting over time due to having to catch up and understand every series that’s coming out.”

Some fans have challenged “superhero burnout” by examining the popularity of non-MCU shows.

According to Time, Amazon’s parody of superheroes called “The Boys” outperformed every MCU TV show released in 2022. Additionally, Sony’s animated film “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-verse” sold more tickets domestically than “Guardians Vol. 3,” becoming the company’s highest-grossing animated movie and animated comic book movie in the process.

Promise Achi, a computer engineering major, said there is a quantity-over-quality issue in the MCU.

“[In] Phase one and two and even phase three, which was the Infinity Saga, we would be lucky to get two, maybe three projects a year,” he said. “In Phase Four and Five, there’s more product than in the first three phases combined, and phases four through five take place from 2021 to 2024.”

In response to the negative criticism, Marvel Studios President and Producer, Kevin Feige said they would slow down the release schedule for phases five and six—the next two sets of movies organized based on subject matter. 

“Hopefully, they learn their lessons in what people like and don’t like. There’s been so many flops recently that I feel like it’s impossible the producers and executives don’t notice them,” Griffin said. “They should make a return to an emphasis on quality. Otherwise, I don’t see the franchise lasting past the multiverse saga.”

Griffin said he is disappointed but not surprised by Downey Jr.’s role as Dr. Doom. However, he still feels hopeful for the MCU’s future.

“I would be lying if I said I’m not excited to hear that they’re bringing the Russo Brothers back. All of their movies have been hits,” Griffin said. “If the MCU can improve their stories and characters, there might be a resurgence of support from fans that have been lost.”