Why superhero movies should be darker



 

Superheroes are a staple of film and TV today, becoming some of the most famous and well known shows and movies of all time. However, the titans of the superhero genre, Marvel and DC, as of late have produced mediocre and bad films. Marvel taking a step further and producing multiple series on Disney plus where most were also met with mediocrity.

So what is the problem? One is that they are too safe. Violence is a key component of superheroes and while it is used in all of them gore and blood is censored heavily. This is a cooperate decision as it allows an age rating of 12 which means the audience is much wider and more tickets will be sold. 

These movies are too light-hearted when they really should be more serious. The new Thor movie for example, it handles topics such as serious as cancer yet barely touches on it. It features Gorr a character from the comics known for his brutality and strength but all he does in the movie is hold children captive and summon things to fight for him. Using a character like Gorr who has a tragic backstory and handling serious topics should mean the movie is serious. It is not. Thor Love and Thunder is packed full of jokes that don't land and doesn’t take itself seriously.  

DC movies recently have actually been good because they use what marvel doesn’t. The Suicide Squad featured severe gore and swearing and it knew when to have jokes and serious moments at the right times without ruining the movie. It may have been one of the least successful DC movies at the box office gaining 167 million which pales in comparison to other DC movies. But it was praised by critics earning 90% on rotten tomatoes and 7.2/10 on IMDB making it the 3rd highest rated DCEU movie on rotten tomatoes and IMDB. Its spin-off show Peacemaker being even more successful getting 8.3/10 and 94%, it shared the same tone and lack of censorship as The Suicide Squad.

The superhero genre is split into two. Kids who love superheroes and want to see fights and nothing too much for their young minds to handle and adults who can handle and want serious topics and gore. The superhero movies that do well are the ones that are independent from Marvel and DCs film universe (The Batman and Deadpool) or just not a part of either (The Boys, Invincible). 


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