For all the recent superhero movies from Marvel, most of them could not grab the audience’s eyeball as per Marvel’s standard. MCU is known for ruling the box office. But post Avengers: Endgame, its demand gradually started to weaken and 2023 saw the full impact of Superhero fatigue. Apart from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, other films such as Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and The Marvels could not come to meet the expectations. Amid this rise of possible superhero fatigue, now the directors behind Avengers: Infinity War and its sequel, Joe and Anthony Russo keeps their opinion on this issue denying to admit that superhero fatigue is not the reason here.
Russo Brothers Speaks on Shifting in Content Consuming Nature and Generational Divide
A scene from Avengers: Endgame. Image Credit: Disney
The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has seen tremendous success with its blockbuster movies, but lately, it seems the magic is fading. Some fans are losing interest, and the usual excitement isn’t as strong as it used to be. The Russo Brothers, who directed several successful MCU films including Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Endgame, reflect on this dire state of the studio.
In an interview with GamesRadar+, Joe Russo pointed to a “generational divide” as a key factor. He explained that older audiences are accustomed to the traditional movie-going experience, planning trips to the theater for specific releases. Younger generations, however, have different habits. Russo stated, “the new generation are ‘I want it now, I want to process it now,’ then moving onto the next thing…” Their focus is on instant gratification and quicker consumption of content.
He said that this is “a Hollywood-wide issue, not just a Marvel one.” According to him, the current trends reflect the broader changes in the way people engage with entertainment. He told GamesRadar+, “I think it’s a reflection of the current state of everything. It’s difficult right now, it’s an interesting time. I think we’re in a transitional period, and people don’t know quite yet how they’re going to receive stories moving forward, or what kinds of stories they’re going to want.“
Joe Russo also highlighted that the way young people consume media today is primarily through brief, easily digestible content. He noted, “There’s a big generational divide about how you consume media. There’s a generation that’s used to appointment viewing and going to a theater on a certain date to see something, but it’s ageing out. […] It’s a very different moment in time than it’s ever been. […] And I think that really is probably what’s at play more than anything else.“
Russo mentioned that younger audiences often communicate through “memes and headlines with nobody reading past two sentences, so everything’s 100 characters or less – or 10-second videos on social media you swipe through.” The traditional two-hour movie format may feel repetitive to them, and they are seeking new ways to tell stories that cater to their fast-paced lifestyles.
The directors concluded that these changes indicate a significant shift in entertainment consumption and storytelling. While the classic movie format has been around for over a century, the challenge, according to Russo, is “to reinvent that form” to cater to a new generation with different storytelling expectations.
Superhero Fatigue? Russo Brothers Believe It’s a Bigger Picture Issue
Russo Brothers. Image Credit: Gage Skidmore/CC
When everyone started thinking that superhero fatigue is real and Marvel has been the victim of it, the Russo brothers who have huge contributions to MCU’s overall success denied it.
In the interview, Anthony Russo, one of the acclaimed directors behind major superhero movies, commented on the ongoing debate surrounding superhero fatigue.
In the same interview with GamesRadar+, he suggested that the phenomenon has less to do with superheroes specifically and more with “fatigue in general.”
According to Russo, the concept of fatigue, especially in entertainment, is nothing new. In fact, he mentioned that even before he and his brother, Joe Russo, began their work with Marvel, questions about superhero fatigue had already been circulating. “The superhero fatigue question was around long before the work we were doing,” he said.
“So, it’s sort of an eternal complaint, like we always used to cite this back in our early days with superhero work. People used to complain about westerns in the same way but they lasted for decades and decades and decades. They were continually reinvented and brought to new heights as they went on,” he added.
He compared the current discussion about superhero movies to earlier complaints about Westerns. Despite being met with skepticism and criticism, Western films persisted for decades, often reinventing themselves to keep audiences interested. Russo explained that Westerns “lasted for decades and decades and decades” and were “continually reinvented and brought to new heights as they went on.”
He pointed out that the same could be true for superhero films, which also have the potential to adapt and evolve over time.
