5 Reasons The Superhero Bubble Won't Burst Any Time Soon
3. Lesser Known Heroes Can Sneak In
Marvel's first real success wasnt Iron Man. It was actually 1998s Blade. And most people didnt even realize that he was a comic book character. Even if people start to grow weary of capes and tights, there is a plethora of superhero characters who dont fit that description, such as The Question, Adam Warlock, The Runaways, Mr. A, The Crimson Avenger, or Starman. If James Bond, as a concept, can survive the end of the Cold War, superheroes can surely survive changing audience tastes as well.
A character like Iron Fist, whose origins come from Kung Fu movies, can be re-tooled to be less of a superhero and more of an urban fighter. In fact, the alleged trouble Marvel is having in transitioning the character from page to screen is probably only because they have to make him fit into the larger cinematic universe (or theyre afraid of the potential internet backlash to making a white man the best martial artist in China).
DC can adapt strong runs of its benchwarmers like Grant Morrisons work on Animal Man, which would shatter the fourth wall with metatextual references while also touching on themes of environmentalism and animal rights. The long rumored Justice League Dark movie is also full of potential. If the public really does get tired of overarching stories and multi-film epics, smaller movies about costumeless individuals still have the potential to succeed.