Info in Movie News | The superhero theme has moved beyond being a big-screen blockbuster craze only. In fact, major studios are now betting heavily on streaming series that highlight their main characters in deeper, more personal ways. With concerns about “superhero fatigue” growing, serialized storytelling might be the right solution to keep fans invested.
According to Collider, Marvel Studios is in the process of developing a Disney+ miniseries called Vision Quest that will be a new installment of Paul Bettany’s Vision character. After the events of WandaVision, the story follows Vision as he takes a journey to get to know him better. In contrast to his normal appearances in superpowered fights, this time Vision has to deal with deep philosophy questions: what is the essence of being human? The series, which will have eight episodes, is not only about the action that fans of superpowered characters are used to but also promises to deliver emotional and character-focused drama.
One more Marvel project which is eagerly awaited a lot is Daredevil: Born Again. Charlie Cox is back as Matt Murdock, the blind lawyer who leads double life as the vigilante Daredevil. This show is going to be more thrilling as it antagonizes him with Wilson Fisk, a.k.a. Kingpin who, once again, is played by Vincent D’Onofrio. Now that Fisk is the Mayor of New York, he not only has the power to oppress the vigilantes from a higher position but also the political authority to make their lives miserable. Fans will get the best of both worlds as brutal street fights will be intertwined with tense legal and moral struggles, thus the atmosphere of the show will be similar to that which made Netflix’s Daredevil so popular.
Stag Marvel is launching a new show alongside its streaming services: Wonder Man. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II plays Simon Williams, and the show decides to go just a bit different with the combination of Hollywood parody and superhero genre. Williams' character is a mediocre actor who through divine intervention gets superpowers, thus having to manage both his celebrity and the new reluctant hero role. Ben Kingsley, as the hilariously evil Trevor Slattery character, will make his funny contribution to the drama. A part of the publicity for the Wonder Man has been a joking one as Marvel has been putting on fake red carpet events pretending that Williams is one of the Hollywood stars.
On the DC side, Peacemaker season two is officially on the way. John Cena will once again bring his absurd yet tragic antihero Christopher Smith to life. DC’s first season was unexpectedly a huge hit thanks to James Gunn's sharp and witty writing that blended absurd humor with serious and somewhat dark themes. Today, when James Gunn is the co-CEO of DC Studios, he has been made to leak that the second season is going to broaden the horizon of Peacemaker and that it might even connect directly to upcoming DC Universe movies, hence cameos of Superman played by David Corenswet may be expected.
In fact, such instances are the features of an alteration in the strategies by both Marvel and DC. Following the trend, studios are not only relying on explosive movies but are also employing series to unfold the personalities, struggles, and contradictions of characters in the superhero world comprehensively. Among all the characters, Vision tries to understand himself, Daredevil fights against political corruption, Wonder Man deals with fame and power, on the other hand, Peacemaker combines comedy with tragedy. Consequently, the genre of super heroes has the capability to regenerate its charm through playing the character-driven stories again.
Even so, there are still some difficulties that the industry has to face. The feeling of tiredness with superhero genre is noticeably present, and most of the projects have not done well in the past few years, although the branding was not weak. The audiences have become more picky, and the reason why they cannot all succeed as Loki, The Boys or the first season of Peacemaker is because their format is not always the same. In the absence of well-written scripts and excellent standard production, these new series will be of no exception to getting lost in the crowd.
On the other hand, in case their production is of high quality, these programs can play the role of essential vehicles to the next popular movies. Consequently, while Marvel is progressing to Avengers: Secret Wars in 2027, DC is organizing Superman: Man of Tomorrow to the same year. Fans won’t only watch the movies but will have the opportunity to follow also such streaming series as Daredevil: Born Again and Peacemaker. Such series will not only keep the fans alive but will also allow them to develop emotional connections with the characters and, at the same time, enlarge the cinematic universe across the different platforms.
By focusing on the superheroes through series storytelling, Marvel and DC are getting the opportunity to turn the genre into something completely new in the streaming era. Instead of depending solely on spectacle, they could employ series to create personal, multi-dimensional stories that strike a chord with viewers. If they manage to pull it off, they could extend the life of the genre long after its current predicament.
source Collider
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