James Gunn bravely acknowledges the existence of superhero fatigue

The Guardians Of The Galaxy director and DC Studios co-head James Gunn weighs in on the state of superhero movies

By Katie Chow | April 5, 2023 | 4:55pm

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James Gunn bravely acknowledges the existence of superhero fatigue

James Gunn Photo: Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic

Following the lackluster box office returns for Shazam! Fury Of The Gods and Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania in Q1, Hollywood’s eyes are now turned towards Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 to gauge the state of comic book movies in 2023. The Marvel threequel’s director and DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn recently opened up about the so-called superhero fatigue in a new interview.

“I think there is such a thing as superhero fatigue,” Gunn tells Rolling Stone. “I think it doesn’t have anything to do with superheroes. It has to do with the kind of stories that get to be told, and if you lose your eye on the ball, which is character. We love Superman. We love Batman. We love Iron Man. Because they’re these incredible characters that we have in our hearts. And if it becomes just a bunch of nonsense onscreen, it gets really boring.”

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Of course, visual effects have also been scrutinized, considering that the big screen experience is a key selling point for action movies. Most recently, Fury Of The Gods director David F. Sandberg came out against a claim that Wonder Woman’s appearance was deepfaked.

“But I get fatigued by most spectacle films, by the grind of not having an emotionally grounded story,” Gunn continues. “It doesn’t have anything to do with whether they’re superhero movies or not. If you don’t have a story at the base of it, just watching things bash each other, no matter how clever those bashing moments are, no matter how clever the designs and the VFX are, it just gets fatiguing, and I think that’s very, very real.”

The pressure is on for Gunn. Beyond now having to be concerned about getting butts in seats for The Flash, Blue Beetle, and Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom in addition to Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 this year, the filmmaker who made his mark on comic book blockbusters by introducing a lesser-known band of scrappy weirdos to a wider audience has now tasked himself with faithfully depicting one of the most recognizable superheroes around. Gunn has decided that the world will be ready for another Superman movie in 2025, but only time will tell if audiences agree.

Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 arrives in theaters on May 5.