LOS ANGELES — The superhero genre may no longer dominate the box office like it once did, but reports of its demise may be premature. As Hollywood scales back its comic book output, Marvel and DC are looking to this summer’s releases to determine the future of superhero cinema.
Earlier this month, Marvel’s Thunderbolts opened to strong critical acclaim — some of the best in recent MCU history. Yet, by late May, it had earned just $174 million domestically — less than what Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness made in its opening weekend in 2022.
In response to shifting demand, Marvel Studios recently delayed two major titles — Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars — from May to December in 2026 and 2027. It also pulled three untitled projects from its schedule entirely. The delays give directors Joe and Anthony Russo more time to prepare what are expected to be two of the most expensive movies ever made. The cancellations, meanwhile, reflect a clear attempt to reduce supply in a market showing signs of fatigue.
While superhero fatigue is real, calling the genre “over” is misleading. Films like Deadpool & Wolverine (2024), Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023), and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 have still performed well globally. Disney and Warner Bros. continue to rely on these films to deliver billion-dollar box office returns.
Now, both studios are trying to refresh their franchises with bold new directions. In July, DC Studios will release Superman, written and directed by co-chair James Gunn. The film introduces a new take on the Man of Steel, placing him among a large ensemble of lesser-known heroes — a storytelling style popular in comics but untested in theaters.
Marvel will counter with The Fantastic Four: First Steps, directed by WandaVision’s Matt Shakman. The film reboots the iconic team in a retro-futuristic 1960s New York that exists in a different reality from the main MCU. It’s designed to stand alone, requiring no prior franchise knowledge.
Both films carry stakes beyond their own box office performance. A lackluster debut for Superman, starring David Corenswet, could damage Warner Bros.’ efforts to reboot its DC Universe. Meanwhile, if The Fantastic Four, led by Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach, fails to connect with audiences, it could weaken Marvel’s setup for Doomsday and Secret Wars.
If these releases underperform, Hollywood may finally move the superhero genre to the sidelines, much like it did with Westerns and romantic comedies. Those genres never disappeared entirely — Dances With Wolves and Unforgiven briefly revived the Western in the 1990s — but they lost their place as box office powerhouses. The challenge with superhero movies is their enormous production and marketing budgets, which require equally large audiences to be profitable.
To manage the risks, Disney is cutting Marvel’s output by nearly half over the next two years. This gives its creative teams more time to refine their work. DC’s Gunn and Peter Safran have also adopted a slower, more deliberate approach — holding off on new projects until the scripts are ready and avoiding market saturation.
With iconic characters like Spider-Man, Batman, Wonder Woman, and Black Panther still holding cultural relevance, superhero movies aren’t going away anytime soon. But the era of nonstop releases may be coming to an end — replaced by fewer, riskier, and potentially more creative films.
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