From Endgame to Superman: Inside Hollywood’s reinvention of the superhero era

When Avengers: Endgame released in 2019, the question that most film studios handling big-scale franchises were asking was: how do we beat the unbeatable? Marvel Studios gained an unprecedented traction among viewers who became loyal to the interconnected stories they were culminating in said film.

Since 2019 though, a lot has changed. Shorter attention-spans and weak-writing have pushed viewers to fall-off this loyal fanbase that existed up untill Endgame. But a lot has changed in the way the productions of such superhero pop-culutre projects are being carried out. Though many good films and series have come since 2019 and the rival studios of Warner Bros. choosing to go down the James Gunn-led path for the DCU, much has evolved since the epic film debuted all those years ago. Now, with Avengers: Doomsday bringing back the hype for such stories and characters and films like Superman connecting with audiences in a way that has not been witnessed before, we believe it makes for the perfect opportunity to look at the changes in superhero filmmaking in Hollywood since 2019.

The most prominent debate across the internet since 2019 has been that of 'super-hero' fatigue. With many television projects released as part of the MCU like WandaVision, Loki, Falcon and the Winter Soldier and Secret Invasion becoming imperative watches ahead of some of their theatrical releases, the viewers have often felt like today's superhero films require homework, putting off many including ardent followers of the franchises.

With many influencing decisions like contstant box office faliures and controversies surrounding featuring competing studios have chosen to either reset a cinematic universe entirely or abandon an early narrative trajectory or pivot it towards a new endgame altogether. Case in point — James Gunn and Peter Safran appointed to helm DC Studios for a completely new cinematic universe that kicked off in 2025 with Superman and Marvel Studios pivoting to the character of Doom played by Robert Downey Jr, replacing Jonanthan Majors' Kang who was projected to be the big bad for the now scrapped Avengers: The Kang Dynasty film.

Owing to the concept of the Multiverse, the MCU's most successful projects have indeed relied heavily on cameos or supporting roles by characters played by actors of a previous era. Audiences have often rushed to the cinemas just to get glimpses of these narrative, meta surprises over the overall narrative structure.

R-rated films and projects within an in-universe narrative is now an established trend in the superhero genre. While shows like The Boys, Invincible and Peacemaker have reigned the OTT space with their viewership numbers a film like Deadpool & Wolverine killed it among fans and box office. All these projects include mature content that are often darker, satirical, meta or deconstructive.

The success of the Spider-Verse films, Invincible, What If...? and X-Men '97 speak volumes! Audiences have trusted their time and attention with visual stories being brought in the the most immersive, meaningful and loyal-to-comics ways.