Morning, readers. I had a pretty uneventful weekend, unless you want to hear about my [REDACTED] number of hours playing Donkey Kong: Bananza. So, I'll cut right to it: Are superhero movies back? It's the question on everyone's minds as Superman and The Fantastic Four: First Steps both soared into theaters and were met with critical praise and domestic box office success this summer. To me, it feels less like a question and more like a statement. Yes, superhero movies are back. Whether you like it or not.
On Monday, I sat at a screening for Fantastic Four in a theater packed with viewers who seemed overwhelmingly excited for the latest Marvel installment. I can't remember more palpable buzz from my seat-mates since I saw Robert Downey Jr. walk onto the Comic Con stage wearing a Doctor Doom mask. The last decade of superhero films since Avengers: Endgame felt like one long slog of IP grabs and resurrected nostalgia, but this room felt different. Audiences laughed, ooh'd and aww'd, and walked away with big grins on their faces. What gives?
Well, it was the exact opposite reaction to the groans I heard following films such as Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and The Marvels—which both required countless hours of dedicated MCU homework before you even stepped into the theater. Instead, Superman and The Fantastic Four are both fresh entry points into their respective comic book universes. So far, the decision to forget the past (for now!) seems to be paying off. But why are superhero movies having a moment this summer, exactly? Has the quality of superhero films drastically improved, or are audiences just desperate to fall in love with stories of good triumphing over evil again during this calamitous political moment in America?
Let's start with the first part: are these superhero movies better than before? I'd say yes, they are. While not revolutionary—Superman and Fantastic Four are still films that follow a familiar formula about super-powered individuals who fly around and fight misguided supervillains—the quality is much improved. Marvel and DC seemingly listened to their fan's feedback and turned around stories that had something to say beyond just setting up the next installment. Superman is playfully busy and well-cast, while Fantastic Four finally finds a place for Marvel's earliest comic book family. Both films are bright and colorful, with Fantastic Four boasting a whole new paint job of retrofuturistic '70s camp. It's a new direction and it also looks like one. Even if it's just a veneer—and studios will serve us more CGI slop in 2026—it's working.
At the same time, the villains are also easier to understand. Most of our on-screen antagonists are just lazy analogues of Donald Trump and Elon Musk. Lex Luthor isn't too far off, but it still feels good to watch Superman sock him in the face. There's a catharsis for stories that inspire hope and kindness in the face of hate that I'm sure people are connecting with nowadays—even if Fox News laments them as "woke."
Personally, I'm also tired of sitting through disappointing superhero movies. Like many Marvel and DC fans, I want to like Superman and Fantastic Four! These new jumping-on points feel like the perfect moment to appreciate superhero films once again. Even if they don't crack Esquire's Top 25 Superhero Movies of All Time list, a good time at the movies is worth celebrating.
However, positive momentum swells just as quickly as it can go away.While Superman and Fantastic Four are winning now, it's partially because they have yet to become part of their greater cinematic universes. DC Studios head James Gunn views Superman as the launching point for his new DCU, with plenty of films and TV shows in the works… which he's cranking away on instead of simply working on a Superman sequel and building the audience back first. Meanwhile, Marvel is about to add their new super-family to two new Avengers films that will absolutely require audiences to have watched 40+ MCU movies and TV shows prior to the main cross-over events.
For now, let's just enjoy the moment.
Let me know how you feel about Superman and Fantastic Four by dropping a note at josh.rosenberg@hearst.com.
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