Superhero-Movie Bubble? 1 of 3

Note:  This three-part examination of a superhero bubble was originally written in the summer of 2018 and appeared on the now defunct Perro Worldwide Comics "Comics Archive" blog. Due to this report's continued relevance, it is being republished here, in its entirety.

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Is there a Superhero-Movie Bubble - Part I

Written by Chip Perro

It's August, 2018, and as I write this, The MCU has raked in close to 7 billion dollars.  I rounded up...  Slightly...

That's the benchmark.

The MCU is the superhero-film-franchise to end all superhero film franchises.  For reference, the DCEU is in second place with 1.5 billion. I rounded down... Slightly...

The general consensus (and I don't necessarily agree) is that the DCEU is a failure. Compared to Marvel, it has made substantially less. But let us be clear. 1.5 billion dollars is not a failure.

So in this age of big budget and big box office superhero action, why does the idea of a bursting "superhero-movie-bubble" get thrown around so frequently? Is a superhero-movie-bubble even real? And if it is, do we really expect it to pop? I'll begin by answering those two questions.  Then I'll tell you why I'm right.

Regarding question one: Yes, there is a superhero-movie-bubble. Regarding question two: Yes, it will burst. Sooner, I think, rather than later.

But, why?

To answer this question, we need to examine the history.

Superhero films have been produced since nearly the dawn of cinema itself.  The Mark of Zorro, a silent film, was released in 1920. If we consider Superman the first modern superhero, we can consider the 1940's Kirk Alyn Superman-Film-Serial the first modern superhero movie.

Throughout the decades that followed, countless superhero films were released. They existed, very much, as adaptations of their source material. Not extensions, and not exactly embracing their comic book roots, but not ignoring them entirely, either.

A few of these movies stand out as classics. Batman 66' with Adam West, Richard Donner's Superman with Christopher Reeve, Tim Burton's Batman with Michael Keaton, and Blade with Wesley Snipes.

Despite these few that were good, there were so many more that were bad, and the public perception of superhero movies on film was that they were made for kids. For decades, fans of the comics longed to see the same nuanced storytelling presented in the comics presented on screen.

Then, In 1997, Joel Schumacher's Batman & Robin killed the genre with a childish and pandering film that almost screamed to the viewer, we don't like these movies!

It was official. The superhero movie was dead!

Surprisingly, we may have to look back on that film and thank Mr. Schumacher.  By killing the genre, in the spectacular way that he did, he paved the way for the superhero-movie boom that would take place three years later...