Over the last decade, as the Marvel Cinematic Universe and DC Universe have grown, there has been growing discussion about superhero fatigue, often dismissed as each new comic book film proves to be more successful than the last. A new study shows that that may be changing.
As reported by Variety, a study conducted by Fandom found that 36 percent of Marvel fans were feeling fatigued from the number of releases per year, while 20 percent of DC fans felt that way. The study drew from 5,000 entertainment and gaming fans between the ages of 13 and 54. Still, the vast majority of MCU fans, 81 percent, will continue to watch anything the franchise releases, while 67 percent of DC fans will do the same.
The participants in the study were categorized into four different groups depending on their level of enthusiasm for superhero media. These groups were the wholly devoted "Advocates," review and marketing-influenced "Intentionalists," who make up the largest segments of a fanbase; hype-dependent "Culturists" and franchise-dabbling "Flirts." Approximately half of Marvel and DC's respective fanbases are made up of Culturists and Flirts.
The MCU and DCU Expand
The Marvel Cinematic Universe has been expanding faster than ever before since 2019's Avengers: Endgame. Phase 4 has been the largest by far, with seven feature films including Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Spider-Man: No Way Home and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, on top of a number of Disney+ shows such as WandaVision, Loki, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Ms. Marvel, Moon Knight and more. Many of these titles have introduced a number of new superheroes and villains, beyond their titular characters.
In the same time span, Warner Bros. Discovery's DCU has been expanding as well, albeit at a slower rate. The superhero film universe has produced titles such as Birds of Prey, Wonder Woman 1984, The Suicide Squad and, more recently, Black Adam. This is on top of the HBO Max series, Peacemaker. It's worth noting Warner Bros. itself has undergone a massive change, with new plans being developed for the film franchise. The merger between Warner Bros. and Discovery led to the cancellation of Batgirl, but it also evidently resulted in actor Henry Cavill's apparent return as Superman in the upcoming Man of Steel sequel.
The titles comprising the Marvel Cinematic Universe are available for streaming on Disney+. The entirety of the DCU is available for viewing on HBO Max.
Source: Variety