Why Superhero Fatigue Is A Good Thing, According To The Batman's Paul Dano

Paul Dano is among those acknowledging that superhero fatigue might be setting in for general audiences. However, the actor doesn't believe that's necessarily a bad thing. Studios are producing movies and series starring comic book heroes at a staggering output and viewers aren't seeming to connect with as much as they once did. Dano, who portrayed The Riddler in "The Batman" by director Matt Reeves, welcomes taking the genre in a fresh direction.

In an interview with The Independent, Dano discussed comic book movies and how he views them as a performer and praised Reeves for going against the superhero grain with his take on the Dark Knight. In an era where campy projects like "Madame Web" get awful reviews as they attempt to build a franchise without properly focusing on making a good standalone story, Dano shared he hopes the fatigue some might be feeling from superhero films leads to the genre getting rejuvenated with new voices: "It's an interesting moment where everybody has to go like, 'OK – what now?' Hopefully from that, somebody either breathes new life into [comic book movies], or something else blossoms which is not superheroes. I'm sure there will still be some good ones yet to come, but I think it's kind of a welcome moment."

In the same interview, Paul Dano elaborated on the bigger problem currently facing the film industry that also plagues the superhero genre, saying referring to the art as content was a mistake: "It's a larger thing, too," Dano told The Independent. "As soon as the word 'content' came into what we do – meaning making movies or TV – it meant quantity over quality, which I think was a big misstep. And I certainly don't need that as a viewer or as an artist."

Dano isn't the only creative working in the superhero genre who says fatigue is setting in. James Gunn, the DCU's lead decision maker, previously said superhero fatigue is real. He shared on "Inside of You Podcast with Michael Rosenbaum" that with spectacle films, too much focus is on elements such as huge fight scenes as opposed to worrying about character and emotion. Former DCEU architect Zack Snyder also shared he had superhero fatigue in an interview with The Atlantic, calling out the genre for not telling contained stories: "No one thinks they're going to a one-off superhero movie."

Ultimately, Dano's comments echo what many fans are feeling at the moment. There needs to be a shift when it comes to the superhero genre needs to change. Breathing life into the films with new voices and focusing on making good movies instead of solely trying to launch a cinematic universe or franchise seems like a great way to ensure comic book movies have more longevity and don't soon become a fad of the past.