Are We Reaching the Superhero Saturation Point?

By Chris Kavan - 02/12/10 at 02:46 PM CT

With the recent announcement that Christopher Nolan is returning to helm the 3rd Batman, and that Spiderman is getting a prequel reboot - one has to wonder when the superhero bubble will burst.

A glance at the next few years worth shows numerous films around the corner. This summer is Iron Man 2 - sequel to the hit. After that, things really get going: Green Hornet, Green Lantern, Captain America, Thor, X-Men Origins Wolverine 2, Sub-Mariner and The Avengers.

Plus you have host of movies in production: Wonder Woman, Ant-Man, Flash, X-Men Origins Magneto, Deadpool - with the vast majority slated for 2011-2012 release (though that's sure to change).

Still, one has to wonder how many superheroes the market can support. Look at Hulk, Ghost Rider, Punisher, Elektra - even with good characters, releasing too much too fast is a recipe for disaster. Hollywood won't listen to me when I ask for quality not quantity. I would much rather have only 1-3 superhero movies a year, and hope for the best, rather than releasing five or more and enjoying only one.

Comic books are easy to mine because they have a built-in fan base and appeal to a wide array of fans - not just those who read the comics, but fans of action, blockbusters and just plain fun. However, in a rush to make as many as possible, the fun gets left behind, along with depth and plot. For every Dark Knight, there seems to be three times as many Fantastic Four-type films: instantly forgettable fodder.

I'll take a wait-and-see approach to find out how far Hollywood will ride this wave before it crashed down around them.

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