8 Signs We're Reaching Saturation Point With Superhero Movies

1. The Bubble Will Burst Because Expectations Are Too High

Christopher Nolan gave us a gritty, realistic take on the superhero genre in the Dark Knight trilogy. Bryan Singer gave us an X-Men where social issues were relevant alongside men with metal claws and a woman who could control the weather. Thor delivered the mythological world of Asgard to audiences used to Metropolis and New York and Robert Downey Jr delivered a superhero who was flawed, funny and intelligent all at the same time; a man who could be a jerk one minute and save the world the next. Coupled with even greater special effects, the daringness to tackle less known superheroes that aren't Batman, Spider-Man or Superman, and stories that aren't isolated to one superhero or another, the superhero genre is getting bigger and better every time. For every failure (The Green Lantern) there's a success (Thor). But as that ambition pushes for bigger superhero movies, so does audience expectations. With so many superhero films to choose from, mistakes won't be tolerated. A film that might have earned a sequel ten years ago won't last long in a franchise if those audience expectations aren't met. Ben Affleck has a hell of a lot to prove as Batman. DC in general need to prove that they can at least reach Marvel's crown, if not take it. And as storylines like Days Of Future Past, Age Of Ultron, The Winter soldier and the death of Gwen Stacey become realised, comic book fans have very clear ideas of how they want their favourite stories translated to the big screen. As the furore over the Mandarin in Iron Man 3 proves, audiences are more vocal than ever if they don't like the direction a film has taken with the source material. The Mandarin twist was either an ingenious way to translate what could be quite an offensive, gimmicky character into the world of the cinematic Iron Man, or it was a waste of a brilliant villain. At the end of the day, superhero films are big business. Given the decades of material there are hundreds of stories, thousands of characters to translate. What is so wonderful about the genre is its ability to blend its storytelling with action, comedy, romance, sci-fi, fantasy and gripping drama and quite possibly the best is still to come. But there is a danger of reaching too high. If cinema is flooded with superhero stories, even those great tales will be lost. Once upon a time the big genre was musicals. Then it was westerns. Now it's superheroes. You have to ask...when will the bubble burst?