Superhero Movies: What Keeps Us Coming Back for More?

Superhero movies, such as those released multiple times a year by Marvel and DC (the MCU and DCEU, respectively) are often criticized for repetitive storylines. How many times can we be expected to ride the ‘good guy versus bad guy’ rollercoaster before the twists and loops don’t seem quite so exciting or unpredictable? But these superhero films are nearly always a guaranteed box office hit. In fact, Marvel’s ‘Avenger’s: Endgame’ is currently the highest-grossing film of all time at nearly $2.8 billion, which begs the question: what keeps us coming back for more? 

First, in a world where bad news seems to significantly outnumber uplifting news, it makes sense that viewers would like to see some straightforward films where good prevails over evil and imagine that simplicity in our world too. Dramatic superpowers and technical fight scenes aside, it’s hard to argue that seeing a symbol of hope/morality defeat a person that represents corruptness doesn’t provide us with some catharsis (or at the very least a small exhale of relief that things ended the way we’d hoped they would). Take the Superman film ‘Man of Steel’ as an example: Earth is being threatened, so Clark Kent steps up to protect it by defeating the supervillain before he can fulfill his evil plan. I don’t find it surprising that viewers enjoy watching someone deem us worthy of saving and affirming that, ultimately, good always wins; maybe it helps us believe that our own good will conquer whatever battles we’re facing in life. The most common criticism of this genre is the predictability of the endings and that we know before we even press play that the hero will win – but is that not the exact purpose of genre labels? Superhero movies provide us with a win for the protagonist, yes, but the horror genre, predictably, will give us gore and jump-scares, likewise with cheesy jokes and declarations of love in rom-coms. Criticizing a genre for conforming to its criteria doesn’t make sense: would these same critics ridicule a comedy for being funny?

Second, superheroes are complicated. They are complicated in a way that is brutally honest and terrifyingly universal. We see a God banished as a result of his own hubris, just to end up willing to sacrifice his life to save others. We watch a genius, billionaire, playboy philanthropist (his words, not mine) so caught up in profit and luxury that he had never stopped to consider the destruction that his weapons leave in their wake, before eventually building an Ironman suit from scraps to embark on a mission to stop an arms trafficking ring. These heroes are written to start in one place – usually egotistical, ostracised, or both – and endure a journey that leaves them serving the greater good, whether they realize it or not. The writing of every character arc in these films simply dramatizes the process of figuring out who we truly want to be and how to achieve it that every person goes through at some point. They are countless stories of maturing, mistakes, forgiveness, and the many other trials and tribulations that come with being human. 

Lastly, these journeys are never easy. Through loss and heartbreak and betrayal and pain, these characters must ignore every temptation to join the antagonists and successfully make it out to the other side. The hardships dealt to heroes in the DC and Marvel cinematic universes can be extremely relatable, such as the loss of T’Challa’s father, the betrayal that Aquaman suffers, and the guilt Spiderman feels over his uncle’s death (I’m expecting that being banished to another planet like Thor isn’t quite as relatable as these others, but please correct me if I’m wrong). The common factor across all of the films in the superhero genre is that none of the heroes start perfectly, and none of them finish the film unblemished – whether that be mentally or physically. Viewers might need a reminder that not even the people we place on a pedestal will ever be perfect: they are just trying their best, like us. 

So why do we keep coming back to Marvel and DC films? It seems, to me, that superheroes offer an outlet for the stress and fear that come with seeing constant bad news in the world, and give us the opportunity to imagine a life that lets good always triumph over evil. It provides an hour or two for viewers to learn that life is never easy and that striving for perfection is an unnecessary waste of time. Through Gods and time travel and superpowers and the occasional one-liners for comedic relief, we can slowly understand that we only ever need to be the best version of ourselves that we can be: the rest will work itself out.