Why Hollywood Actors Might Be The Death Of Superhero Movies

The superhero film franchise has been the highest-grossing film franchise to date, with the MCU and DCEU having a collective worth of US$30 billion. This comes as no surprise, as Marvel has been known for its gripping stories and excellent CGI up until Endgame, and DC has been struggling to keep up.

Since the epic conclusion of Avengers: Endgame back in 2019, the MCU has seen a great decline, both in quality and quantity. The pandemic stunted the number of films they released, but that is no excuse for their quality. On the other hand, DC has had the capacity to take the lead from their bitter rival for the longest time, but they’ve consistently shot themselves in the foot whenever they were picking up steam.

However, the industry is facing an even greater challenge than some man perfecting his rock collection that can doom future instalments as a whole: the actors. Here’s what you need to know about why the actors may be the final nail in the coffin for a genre that has overstayed its welcome.

A Convoluted Timeline: Warner’s Bad Judgement Calls

Warner Bros. has proven they aren’t really the sharpest tool in the shed thanks to their recent decisions. From removing the fan favourite Henry Cavill from the role of Superman to rushing the creation of the Justice League and even cancelling the release of completed movies, they’ve become quite the laughing stock as their actions have been very detrimental to them and their image.

They have been quite indecisive about which timeline they should stick with. One example of this would be their Batmen. There have been multiple iterations of Batman that are still active simultaneously, like those of Robert Pattinson and Ben Affleck. That’s not even mentioning the fact that Michael Keaton will be reprising his role soon in the upcoming Flash movie. Unlike Maguire, Garfield, and Holland’s Spider-Man, DC seems to be throwing films at the wall and seeing what sticks, and it’s messy. Without a cohesive structure, Warner has successfully alienated their fans from watching their films unless something massive happens, like the aforementioned reprisal of Michael Keaton’s role.

It has been a well-known fact that Warner Bros. has a track record for making bad decisions, but a few of their worst are the ones that surround their actors. 

Those In Red

The most infamous would be their decision to side with Amber Heard over Johnny Depp. Despite the court siding with Depp and solidifying Heard’s position as the abuser in the public eye, Warner Bros. pushes through with giving Heard a role in the upcoming Aquaman 2 film, albeit a reduced one, even though audiences have been clamouring for her total removal from the project.

Due to their choices, DC needed to hit the reset button on what could have been a successful film franchise immediately in order to push away the controversies that have plagued them and their actors. And they were hoping to do so with the upcoming Flash film. Unfortunately, the main star of the film, Ezra Miller, is already in deep water, having been arrested in Hawaii on harassment allegations and charged with burglary back in 2022. In August of the same year, a representative of Miller released a statement, apologising for his past actions and saying he would seek help for his “complex mental issues”. 

Many are, of course, disappointed in this revelation, as both Amber Heard and Ezra Miller were fan favourites of their respective movies, with some even forsaking the DCEU and joining the MCU all together. However, the grass on the other side doesn’t seem to be getting any greener; in fact, it might be starting to rot. 

Marvel’s Major Problem

Though facing some less than stellar reviews, Marvel has continued releasing their films as per schedule, building up towards Avengers: Kang Dynasty. However, the main antagonist of the entire phase might have compromised the entire plan before it had even begun in earnest. Introduced in the finale of Loki’s season 1, Jonathan  Majors, a rising star in the entertainment industry, plays the role of Kang the Conqueror and is said to be the focal point of the entire Marvel Phase 5. However, he has recently been arrested due to what law enforcement officials are calling a “domestic dispute,” like charges of harassment and assault.

Moments after news broke, people across the internet were quick to call Jonathan Majors’ the Ezra Miller of the MCU, but his criminal defence attorney released a statement that said the actor was “completely innocent” and “probably the victim.” Alongside video evidence that supports his story, they also managed to obtain a statement from the woman recanting her accusations against him. Despite this, the accusation and subsequent arrest have already affected him and his work. Ads from the US Army featuring Majors have been pulled.

Marvel have a really good relationship with Majors, they’re waiting for this to play out and see what public opinion evolves into.

Also, they legally can’t boot him from any project he’s signed on to – they will have to negotiate/settle an agreement with his team. https://t.co/FMZfRltahd

— Divinity Seeker (@DivinitySeeker1) April 10, 2023

Though we do wish he wasn’t really like that, if by some chance the allegations are true, he would likely ruin the MCU as he cannot be removed from the role he signed into. If something were to happen, they’d have to reach a compromise that would appease both parties. The instance of keeping Majors or removing him from the MCU would be detrimental if the charges were true; if he leaves, it would be difficult to find a new actor to play an already established character (think of how awkward it would be if Marvel replaced Robert Downey Jr. with someone else in Iron Man 3), but if he cannot be removed, then audiences might choose to boycott all MCU films featuring him. But that is only speculation.

Source: People, IGN Africa, The News International, Wikimedia Commons [1], [2], Flickr, ABC News