Ever since the first superhero movie, Superman: The Movie (1979), superheroes have been a huge part of the movie industry. Super-fans and casual watchers alike both enjoy these movies for the stories they tell. These movies have played on screens across the world, ranging from classics like Iron Man (2008) to recent movies like The Fantastic Four: The First Steps (2025). With such a large range, superhero movies have changed a lot from what they used to be. Changes in the movie industry, technology, and character storylines have altered the way superheroes are portrayed on screen.
Superhero movies are very popular, and for many different reasons. The diverse stories and characters attract many groups of people. Freshman Elizabeth Long likes superhero movies because they give a sense of wonder to viewers.
“It gives us the idea of this other world of powers and stuff, and I think we like to feel like we’re kind of in the movies and experience the characters and the magic,” Long said.
As time has progressed, the way movies are marketed have changed. Business teacher Jessica Tyler believes, as the internet’s popularity grows, more advertisements are shown exclusively there.
“I feel like a lot more nowadays they [movies] are marketed on social media, so not only television ads, but big social media and apps, things like that. I don’t think that there’s one better than the other, because I think previously, it fit the times that we lived in. I do think that you catch more of an audience and a younger audience nowadays because of social media and how much everybody uses it,” Tyler said.
The technology used to create movies has also changed as time progresses. Things like CGI, special effects, and motion capture are at the best they’ve ever been. Tyler has noticed this increase in digital graphic quality.
“The graphics alone [have improved], even in Disney films and things like that. Just the graphics and the things that they can create without actually having to be in that location,” Tyler said.
However, these technological advances may have made some superhero movies worse. Business teacher Samantha Donelson believes that superhero movies sacrifice their stories for eye-catching graphics.
“I think they’re trying to be flashy, and they got away from telling the characters stories, and they’re trying to show more effects and things like that. But I think the reason we all like superheroes is for who they are, as people, when they take off a mask, and we’ve stepped away from those storylines,” Donselson said.
Another reason some superhero fans may be disappointed in recent movies is because of the change in storylines. Long believes newer superheroes can’t compare to already established superheroes.
“They’re killing off some of the characters they don’t need to kill off just to do it and get them out of the way of the storyline. And then I also feel like they’re trying to make the characters compare to the old ones, and the old ones have a place in our hearts and the new ones don’t, so it just doesn’t work,” Long said.
“Superhero fatigue” is a term used when too many superhero movies are released at once, and it’s a phenomenon fans have been complaining of recently. Donelson thinks superhero fatigue is affecting fans and producers alike.
“There’s so many movies and they’re happening so fast, they can’t keep up with everything. And now you have the shows, and you have the movies, and you have all the different phases, and people are getting turned off from it. And I think that that’s affecting the people making superhero movies,” Donelson said. “I think they’re going to that flashy thing because they’re hoping that they get a viral Tiktok or something and someone will go see it. Whereas, I grew up with it, but I had to wait two or three years for each movie to come out, so I was excited about them.”
Even with all these changes, superhero movies continue to retain their old popularity. There are still many fans who are dedicated to their favorite superheroes and wish to see them in good movies again. Donelson wants producers to go back to the characters’ origins.
“We need to keep the integrity of the comics. [The movies] can go back to what they once were, but we have to kind of go back to the root of who the people were,” Donelson said.
Superhero movies still remain popular, despite viewer complaints of superhero fatigue, changing storylines, and shifting priorities. These movies, however, could get back their past acclaim if they go back to their roots of brave characters, strong storylines, and less showy visuals.
