# So why has this particular period of superhero movies been so profitable. Is anything different **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 14, 2019, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-has-this-particular-period-of-superhero-movies-been-so-profitable-is-anything-different/838635 "2019-08-14T02:20:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![dorvann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df705f/32.png) [@dorvann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dorvann)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2019, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-has-this-particular-period-of-superhero-movies-been-so-profitable-is-anything-different/838635/61 "2019-08-17T02:00:28Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > DC _thought_ they were going the “realer” route, but they picked and chose only the parts of reality that suck. I think DC thought since the grittier “realer” Batman movies with Christian Bale were so successful that they should make their other character’s movies in similar manner. Except Superman really isn’t a “dark” character to begin with so it doesn’t really work that well. I think this year’s “Shazam” movie was the first movie DC made in while that captured more of the light hearted nature people think about when they here DC Comics but even it had undercurrent of darkness that was distracting. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2019, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-has-this-particular-period-of-superhero-movies-been-so-profitable-is-anything-different/838635/62 "2019-08-17T02:02:23Z")
I’d say that DC’s problem isn’t that they’re trying, and failing, to be more realistic; it’s that they’re trying, and failing, to be more adult. Sadist psycho killer Batman from BvS isn’t more “realistic” than Adam West’s take on the character, it’s just a very juvenile conception of what sort of stories “grownups” like. ---
**Author:** ![Translucent\_Daydream](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/translucent_daydream/32/16170_2.png) [@Translucent\_Daydream](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Translucent_Daydream)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2019, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-has-this-particular-period-of-superhero-movies-been-so-profitable-is-anything-different/838635/63 "2019-08-19T17:21:13Z")
My wife _loves_ anything Marvel, including her favorite thing in the MCU, Agents of SHIELD (TV). Alternatively, she _hates_ anything DC. She is 30. It could be that the Marvel folks are better at making movies that appeal to women. She says that the DC stuff is too dark, and they hyper sexualize the women in them. The Joker’s girlfriend was “like a MDMA-sadist-whore” - her words, not mine. She loves Agent May from SHIELD and Black Widow. Those characters resonate with her way more than Wonder Woman. She hated that one too. “God dammit why won’t Kirk let her fight any? Isn’t she supposed to be some sort of super hero?” - Her entertaining words, not mine. She is fun to watch movies with. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2019, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-has-this-particular-period-of-superhero-movies-been-so-profitable-is-anything-different/838635/64 "2019-08-19T17:41:34Z")
Eh, “Kirk” was a man of 1918, and Diana was the first superbeing his world had ever encountered. I’m willing to grant that it’d take him a while to get used to the idea, and really, he came around admirably quickly. And while “MDMA-sadist-whore” might be an apt description of Harley Quin, I’m not sure how anyone could conclude that Black Widow was “not hyper sexualized”. ---
**Author:** ![Translucent\_Daydream](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/translucent_daydream/32/16170_2.png) [@Translucent\_Daydream](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Translucent_Daydream)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2019, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-has-this-particular-period-of-superhero-movies-been-so-profitable-is-anything-different/838635/65 "2019-08-19T18:56:55Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Eh, “Kirk” was a man of 1918, and Diana was the first superbeing his world had ever encountered. I’m willing to grant that it’d take him a while to get used to the idea, and really, he came around admirably quickly. > > And while “MDMA-sadist-whore” might be an apt description of Harley Quin, I’m not sure how anyone could conclude that Black Widow was “not hyper sexualized”. See I would think the same, what is the difference? To her, they are blatantly different. Maybe its the application of the character. I see them sort of the same, but not really if I’m being honest. To my observation watching the movies, they (the super awesome super hero friends) treat Black Widow differently than Harley Quinn is treated by her contemporaries. I am not a woman, so my opinion probably is way less interesting and informed than a woman’s opinion on the topic. To my wife though, there is a stark (ha) difference. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2019, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-has-this-particular-period-of-superhero-movies-been-so-profitable-is-anything-different/838635/66 "2019-08-19T19:36:43Z")
> [@dorvann](#): > > I think DC thought since the grittier “realer” Batman movies with Christian Bale were so successful that they should make their other character’s movies in similar manner. Except Superman really isn’t a “dark” character to begin with so it doesn’t really work that well. Comic book films seem like they have struggled with how “dark” and “grounded” vs how “fun” and “campy” they want to be. It’s like zombies. One the one hand, the concept civilization collapsing due to the dead rising and killing everyone (turning them into more zombies) while bands of survivors fight each other for basic needs is terrifying. OTOH, it’s also ridiculous. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2019, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-has-this-particular-period-of-superhero-movies-been-so-profitable-is-anything-different/838635/67 "2019-08-19T20:43:34Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > I’m not sure how anyone could conclude that Black Widow was “not hyper sexualized”. Because she wasn’t? She was shown as capable of using sexiness as a tool, but “hyper-sexualized”? Not at all. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2019, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-has-this-particular-period-of-superhero-movies-been-so-profitable-is-anything-different/838635/68 "2019-08-19T21:04:15Z")
She didn’t understand sexiness as anything other than a tool. And was she ever shown wearing anything less form-fitting than body paint? ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2019, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-has-this-particular-period-of-superhero-movies-been-so-profitable-is-anything-different/838635/69 "2019-08-20T00:19:56Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > She didn’t understand sexiness as anything other than a tool. And was she ever shown wearing anything less form-fitting than body paint? Black Widow? For most of the last half of Winter Soldier, when she and Cap were on the run, she wasn’t in the bodysuit. Examples: [http://images.fandango.com/images/fandangoblog/CapWidowKiss3F.jpg](http://images.fandango.com/images/fandangoblog/CapWidowKiss3F.jpg) [https://www.samishleather.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Black-Widow-Captain-America-Chic-Brown-Jacket-3-450x600.jpg](https://www.samishleather.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Black-Widow-Captain-America-Chic-Brown-Jacket-3-450x600.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2019, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-has-this-particular-period-of-superhero-movies-been-so-profitable-is-anything-different/838635/70 "2019-08-20T01:39:30Z")
Ah, OK, I’d forgotten about those. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2019, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-has-this-particular-period-of-superhero-movies-been-so-profitable-is-anything-different/838635/71 "2019-08-20T06:23:51Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > She didn’t understand sexiness as anything other than a tool. And was she ever shown wearing anything less form-fitting than body paint? The first half of Iron Man, she’s in dresses. She’s also in a dress in the interrogation scene at the start of Avengers. She’s shown in business-style clothing at the Senate hearings, and again at the UN summit thing that got blowed up good in Civil War, There’s the aforementioned street clothes in Winter Soldier. She wears the form-fitting outfit when she’s on the job - just like other Shield agents. Leaving aside whether that actually is a good outfit to wear for that job IRL, it’s still not “hyper-sexual”. Is [Maria Hill](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/38/63/cf/3863cf7d1f40155d268392c01c910098.jpg) also “hyper-sexualized” to you? What about [Hawkeye](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/05/a7/3a/05a73a4f35d942a6710654e0251a6370.jpg)- I mean, you can see his naked arms, the slut. And all the women walking around in athlesiure clothing? Are they \*all \*“hyper-sexualized” Suffice to say, I don’t think [this](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/images/scarlett-johansson-black-widow-1561650986.jpg)is “hyper-” _anything_. [This](https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/evilbabes/images/6/66/January-jones-in-x-men-first-class.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20171207041427)[is](https://data.whicdn.com/images/10217236/large.jpg) closer. Still nothing like the worst comics outfits though. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2019, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-has-this-particular-period-of-superhero-movies-been-so-profitable-is-anything-different/838635/72 "2019-08-20T06:28:27Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > She didn’t understand sexiness as anything other than a tool. Sorry, didn’t address this - she is shown to be badly broken on that score, yes, because of her upbringing for one. But she displayed a reasonably characterized relationship with Banner given their respective major malfunctions. I was quite sorry that went nowhere before they fridged her. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2019, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-has-this-particular-period-of-superhero-movies-been-so-profitable-is-anything-different/838635/73 "2019-08-20T06:29:57Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > She wears the form-fitting outfit when she’s on the job - just like other Shield agents. I mean “active, overt part of” the job, here. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2019, 8:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-has-this-particular-period-of-superhero-movies-been-so-profitable-is-anything-different/838635/74 "2019-08-20T08:06:45Z")
Superhero movies, like science Fiction before Kubrick’s _2001_, had a tradition of looking down on the people who watched them. There was a real sense of “Don’t worry if it makes no sense and looks like crap, these kids believe in magic rings and clay statues that come to life.” This was truer of the _Spider-Man_ TV show in the 70s than of the _Incredible Hulk_, and it was true of every Superman-related show prior to _Smallville._ While the first _X-Men_ movie showed unprecedented respect for its source material, Raimi’s _Spider-Man_ and the first _Iron Man_ combined respect with solid storytelling, and I really think they remain high water marks for the genre. The only DC movies I have really been impressed by are _Wonder Woman_ and Burton’s _Batman_. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2019, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-has-this-particular-period-of-superhero-movies-been-so-profitable-is-anything-different/838635/75 "2019-08-20T14:31:55Z")
> [@Banquet\_Bear](#): > > …so I think its fair to add [Sarah Finn](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0278168/), [Casting Director who cast almost every actor in the MCU](https://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/film/112842667/make-mine-marvel-how-one-woman-cast-a-universe) to the list of things that have made these movies such a success. 🙂 This isn’t the “correct” answer, but it’s most definitely in the top 3. I was listening to a podcast one time and they said (and I’m paraphrasing) “Can we just take a second and think about just how good of actors the MCU leads are?” They were referencing Chris Evans directly, but they eventually went on to say that half these movies wouldn’t work as well as they have if the actors in them weren’t genuinely good actors. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2019, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-has-this-particular-period-of-superhero-movies-been-so-profitable-is-anything-different/838635/76 "2019-08-20T21:05:53Z")
True, it’s easy to get good actors when you’re casting from the A-list. And some of the people in the Marvel movies were (even before their Marvel appearances). But a lot of them weren’t, and they were still good actors (at least, for the roles they were picked for). Yup, that sure looks like the mark of a skilled casting director to me. ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2019, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-has-this-particular-period-of-superhero-movies-been-so-profitable-is-anything-different/838635/77 "2019-08-21T06:08:53Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > Sorry, didn’t address this - she is shown to be badly broken on that score, yes, because of her upbringing for one. But she displayed a reasonably characterized relationship with Banner given their respective major malfunctions. I was quite sorry that went nowhere before they fridged her. Verily the quibble calls to me and I have come to share it with thee: Widow is not a fridging\*. Who does it serve? A teeny bit of angst for Hawkeye? Hulk throws some furniture, Cap squeezes out a few tears and thats it. Iron Man is a lot closer as it serves the last Spider-Man movie. GAMORA is a stronger case for it being a fridge cause it drove Quills character and will probably be a strong point of the next Guardians movie Just because you’re a female and you get killed doesn’t make it a fridging. And for posteritys sake lets remember that Steve Trevor and Larry Lance were the first fridgings in comics. \*If Widows solo movie is a stealth Hawkeye movie, then I 'm wrong. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2019, 8:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-has-this-particular-period-of-superhero-movies-been-so-profitable-is-anything-different/838635/78 "2019-08-22T08:10:32Z")
> [@Dale\_Sams](#): > > Verily the quibble calls to me and I have come to share it with thee: > > Widow is not a fridging\*. Who does it serve? Dealt with it [here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=21677900&postcount=751)- Hawkeye, is the answer. Hawkeye gets to have the family, the redemption from being Ronin, all the stuff. It’s not about him having angst, it’s that \*her \*death serves \*his \*story, not her own. It helps if you have the context like one of the writers thinking she was “just a cipher the whole time” ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2019, 8:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-has-this-particular-period-of-superhero-movies-been-so-profitable-is-anything-different/838635/79 "2019-08-22T08:42:02Z")
> [@Dale\_Sams](#): > > And for posteritys sake lets remember that Steve Trevor and Larry Lance were the first fridgings in comics. Sorry, missed this - No. Better yet: Hell, no! ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2019, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-has-this-particular-period-of-superhero-movies-been-so-profitable-is-anything-different/838635/80 "2019-08-22T12:06:28Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > Sorry, missed this - No. Better yet: Hell, no! Just ‘no’? Ahhh…“Hell no.” Well. You have an earlier example? Bucky? Uncle Ben? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-has-this-particular-period-of-superhero-movies-been-so-profitable-is-anything-different/838635.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-has-this-particular-period-of-superhero-movies-been-so-profitable-is-anything-different/838635.md?page=5)