Will Ashton talks about recent superhero movies set to come out in the next couple of years
Most people like superheroes, and why wouldn’t they? Superheroes are awesome. Beyond the fact that they can fly, lift cars or become invisible, they also provide rich metaphors and offer a great, public source of political commentary.
Equally as great — at least, at times — are superhero movies. With Marvel dominating the scene right now, it seems like superheroes are everywhere. You know why? Because they are. Right now, at least four superhero flicks — depending on whether or not you count Big Hero 6 — made their way into cinemas this year, and at least four superhero-themed shows are on TV right now. But this is just the beginning.
By my count, at least 39 superhero movies are in some sort of development between now and 2020. There are three set for next year (Avengers: Age of Ultron, Ant-Man and the new Fantastic Four,) seven dated for 2016, 10 in 2017, 10 more in 2018 and then seven in 2018. And this is just in the movie theater. Of course, from here and beyond, it’s anybody’s guess how many will pop up after that.
On TV, there are already TV series like The Flash, Arrow, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Gotham. And Constantine premieres this Friday, while Netflix works on shows for Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Iron Fist, Luke Cage and The Defenders. PlayStation has a Powers show coming up, ABC is cooking up Agent Carter, AMC has Preacher in development and CW has some superhero named “Hourman” getting his own show too. Alas, this is just naming a few.
Like I said above, I love superheroes, and there are few pleasures greater than seeing a really good superhero movie. But when does it become too much? I am out-of-my-mind excited about Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, I’m curious about Doctor Strange, and would love to see the Deadpool movie be really good. Other than that though, I’ve got to say I’m kind of getting worn out of superheroes properties. There’s just too damn many of them now.
I mean, I’m getting tired just reading about all the comic book properties in the works, let alone making an effort to see them. This is probably why I’m never going to watch any of the superhero shows besides maybe Daredevil and can’t see how so many people can get jazzed about all this anymore.
What I guess I’m asking is this: when are there going to be too many superhero properties? Because if people start getting tired of this kind of thing by next year, what are they going to do about the 29-plus superhero projects already in development? Lots of people complain that DC is putting the cart ahead of the horse, but I think everyone is putting their mule before their carriage here.
But hey, maybe I’m wrong. I can say that I’m getting less and less interested in seeing superheroes now. And it’s always sad to start losing interest in stuff you love.
Will Ashton is a senior studying journalism and a writer for The Post. Email him at wa054010@ohio.edu
