It’s clear that superhero fatigue, which film critics have insisted on over and over since the release of Avengers: Endgame, has finally become a reality. And that doesn’t mean the end of superhero sagas, but a refinement of their plots and characters. If years ago it was enough to launch a bunch of second-stringers like the Guardians of the Galaxy and have it be a smash, now not even Supergirl herself can get audiences excited… let alone younger audiences.
Super-young!
However, some people have a different opinion on the matter, like Iman Vellani, who at 23 is still playing Ms. Marvel in Marvel films and series since the premiere of her own series in 2022. Asked about it, she said that “I don’t agree that Generation Z has stopped being interested in superheroes. Maybe they’ve simply stopped feeling obliged to show that interest”. But if they don’t show up at the box office, that doesn’t mean much.
Vellani goes on to say that “Our generation has grown up surrounded by an endless number of superhero stories, so maybe the novelty has disappeared, which is natural. Now the bar is higher. We’re looking for stories that feel close to us and emotional, especially in the age of artificial intelligence. We want honesty from the people telling us stories. We want our intelligence to be respected”. Honestly? Absolutely right. I wish Marvel and DC would take note instead of flooding us with movies that seem made by algorithm.
“In any case, I think Generation Z responds incredibly well to superheroes when they’re treated, first and foremost, as people. The themes of grief, identity, legacy, and belonging are timeless and will never go out of style. Every genre goes through cycles. That’s what happened to westerns, musicals, and romantic comedies. So the solution isn’t to abandon the genre, but to find new stories that can only be told within this genre. At the end of the day, I think all we want is for these movies to evolve and grow alongside their audience”. Kevin Feige, can you step aside and let Iman Vellani, who clearly sees superheroes as more than just action movies, run Marvel Studios? Thanks.
