Everybody loves a good underdog. Whether they're tall, blonde, and handsome (looking at you, Thor) or sarcastic and scrawny (like your friendly neighborhood Spiderman), everyone has a favorite superhero.
Despite personal preference, it's clear that the newest craze in Hollywood is the superhero. Studios that once pushed vampire movies down our throats are now using the same techniques for marketing their super-films.
With the San Diego Comic-Con leaks of the "Deadpool" and "Suicide Squad" trailers, and the release of the "Superman vs. Batman: Dawn of Justice" trailer, it's easy to expect a big year for superhero films in 2016. But that's not all due out next year: "Captain America 3: Civil War," "X-Men: Age of Apocalypse," "Sinister Six," and "Doctor Strange" are all slated for release March through November of 2016. And that's just the beginning. Both DC and Marvel, the powerhouses of comics, have announced their plans for the next five years. Between 2015 and 2020, a total of 39 superhero films will hit theaters.
Ever since CGI has gotten more advanced, we've been seeing more and more fantastic action-packed films featuring superheroes from the Avengers to a group of supervillains working together to save the day. Long gone are the days of watching Tobey Maguire awkwardly dance in "Spiderman 3" or just knowing that every new Superman movie was going to suck. The comic book universes are coming to life on the big screen, and they're not making many mistakes. When the first "Iron Man" came out, people were floored. It was the perfect mix of action, humor, and Tony Stark's dickish-ness. Even though the first of the Iron Man trilogy was released in 2008, it does a BETTER JOB of holding up than the "Fantastic Four" franchise from 2005. The Dark Knight trilogy (beginning in 2005, but gaining momentum in 2008 with the "Dark Knight") breathed life back into DC film, which had been seriously diminished after "Superman Returns" in 2006.
Personally, I love superhero movies. I don't care who they're about (although my personal favorite is Captain America). After watching Ant-Man last night, I worry about the future of comic book movies. Will they burn out again, only to be remade in a decade or two? Will the Marvel Cinematic Universe be able to keep up the tremendous momentum they've created for themselves? Will DC ever make a movie whose color scheme is "as dark as it can possibly be yet you can still see things?"
I don't know all the answers. I can guess that, yes, eventually superheroes will no longer be the "thing" for studios to make. The MCU might lose steam, but with Disney as their parent company, I'm willing to bet they're here for the long haul. And DC will probably never use lighting in any of their movies ever for any reason. But that's all pure speculation. All I do know for sure is that we are in the age of superhero movies, and they won't be going anywhere for the next five years.
