Why Batman vs. Superman and Captain America: Civil War means that the Golden Age of superhero films in the 21st century is coming to an end?

(image courtesy of forbes.com)

(image courtesy of nerdist .com)

The films Batman vs. Superman and Captain America: Civil War will be released shortly. Just before the summer explosion. Batman vs. Superman will be released by the end of March and Captain America: Civil War in May. The two films are expected to make a lot of money and their storylines are largely focused on the conflict between familiar superheroes which are now household names. Both films feature numerous super powered individuals battling each other and probably the usual commonplace villain. This plethora of characters is welcome at the box office but the high level of quantity does not necessarily imply a qualitative shift. This means that not much change is forthcoming and we are now in the overextension or overproduction phase. Batman vs. Superman has a total budget of around US$400 million for example or $250 million without marketing costs.This over extension or overproduction means that the golden age for superhero films in the 21^st century is now coming to an end. By the time The Avengers: Infinity Wars and the Justice League films appear there will be no profound shift just a massive outlay in terms of the typical superhero outing. The original foundations have already been laid and so we’re now in a phase where it’s difficult to be surprised. I know there will be some twists and turns in the films themselves from a superficial point of view but the original foundations won’t be altered. For that to happen a decisive shift in how we view superheroes will have to come about. This won’t come about for now. For the next couple of years the most that can happen is the addition of new characters or films about different characters. Deadpool is only a minor diversion from the norm. It reminded me somewhat of Blankman in the 90s particularly the comedic tone. The diversion is not a substantial one.

A golden age is an age of prosperity and flamboyance. It represents the coming together of many elements into a massive whole which is very positive for whoever is involved. Everyone engaged has their part to play. Everyone benefits in some way, even the minor players. It does not mean that the status quo is equalized but it does mean that whatever benefits were normally derived have been enhanced significantly. Everything that’s produced turns into a massive/surplus profit. For this Golden Age to emerge a significant foundation has to be laid before there is a significant coming together of all elements into the massive whole. We saw this with the release of The Avengers in 2012 for instance. The problem with golden ages is that they are so similar to the boom periods of economic growth where the bust normally follows.  The bust normally follows from the crisis of overproduction where a spate of unsaleable goods are produced or when value is not materialized in sufficient quantities. Overproduction lays the basis for the bust. Some see it coming where others don’t. For someone to reach the stage where they are overproducing it must mean that they are prosperous in some way. The Golden Age therefore represents the peak of development for  a particular entity and also the beginning of its decline. It’s inevitable because every entity is finite or lays the basis for the creation of a new one. Some can accept it and some can’t accept that their time is limited. For the new entity to emerge the previous one has to expire or enter the stage of oblivion. When you rise and then you fall that is a commonplace phenomenon. It has happened to everyone and anything; from empires to rich individuals to the egomaniacs. It’s a historical fact and so I am not trying to come with an agenda against superhero films in general. It is clear based on the production values of these films that we have entered the overproduction phase. It’s the overproduction phase that normally means that the end is coming. The end can be a good thing because decline can be gradual. Decline does not have to be so rapid that an entity collapses immediately. This is why you have the Silver and Bronze Ages which indicate a more gradual decline from the massive prosperity or power or brilliance or wealth in earlier times. When the decline is complete then a new way will emerge. It may take some time but it will come.

Superhero films have had Golden Ages before. There were golden ages involving numerous films with  Zorro, Superman, Batman, Captain America, Spiderman, The Green Hornet, Dr. Strange and Captain Marvel. These films were released from the 1930s to the 1970s but they were made as appendages. They were hardly taken as seriously as we take superhero films today. A lot of them were television films or released straight to television and could not justify the big budgets of today. The first modern Golden Age began with Superman (1978) and ended in 1989 after the abysmal Superman 4: The Quest for Peace  in 1987. There were other minor superhero films released during that period like Flash Gordon , The Incredible Hulk films, Howard the Duck, Supergirl and others. But up until 1987 Superman films led the way and were responsible for the upsurge in appreciation/$$$ for these sort of films in the cinemas. The next Golden Age began in 1989 with Batman and ended in 1998 following  the abysmal Batman and Robin (1997). Other minor superhero films were released during this time from the abysmal ones like Captain America, The Fantastic Four, Justice league of America, Steel to films like Blade, The Crow,  Spawn, Darkman,  Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Men in Black and others. Despite these other films Batman clearly led the way commercially and artistically even in the area of animated films like Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993). So it’s only fitting that the Golden age ended with Batman and Robin particularly when one is looking at it from the perspective relating to prosperity.

The next golden age began with Spider-Man in 2002 and is the most extensive and significant golden age because many superheroes were revived during this era including Batman in Nolan’s trilogy, Superman in Man of Steel (no I don’t include Superman Returns (2006) even though it made US$200 million at the north American box office), the Hulk and Captain America. There was also the introduction of the likes of  Iron Man in 2008 and Thor and lets not forget the X-Men and The Guardians of the Galaxy. This golden age is now nearing the end but it is one of the most significant golden ages because more heroes have been given an opportunity to shine because of the massive upgrades in technology to enhance the visuals and smarter storytelling. The sort of storytelling that makes these heroes seem relevant in 21^st century society and not as super powered individuals whose battles are far removed from society. The Dark Knight is clearly the most significant film from the perspective of serious storytelling in comic book based films. Iron Man (2008) was also very good and to some extent Captain America: Winter Soldier. We might even see a Wonder Woman film soon with a lot of feminist issues.  Marvel has lengthened this Golden Age with its 3 phase project which is supposed to lead up to The Avengers: The Infinity Wars. DC also has plans for the Justice League which will follow from Batman vs. Superman. One knows that this is a major golden age because most superhero films make in excess of US$150 million at the North American box office, even Antman.

So why does Batman vs. Superman and Captain America: Civil War represent the beginning of the end? One just has to look at why the 2 previous golden ages ended. This third golden age could easily be broken up into 3. Spiderman alone has gone through several changes to the point where he will be included in Captain America: Civil War. The original spiderman franchise produced by Sony collapsed qualitatively with Spider-Man 3 in 2007. It was then revived with the title The Amazing Spiderman. The spiderman franchise did well in terms of the box office for Sony but now they’ve decided to tie him to the mast of the Avengers. The collapse of the spiderman franchise can represent its own golden age. The same applies to Nolan’s take on Batman which influenced the new direction for superman in Man of Steel which now leads into Batman vs. Superman. Then there  is the marvel phase which began with Iron Man in 2008. I have concentrated all these films into one massive golden age because of the direct competition between companies producing these films. This never really happened to a great extent in the previous Golden ages. Superhero films are now taken very seriously in terms of generating profit for film companies like Warner Bros., Walt Disney, Paramount and Sony. Actors like Robert Downey Jr. are being paid large salaries; salaries unheard of in the two previous eras. These films generate billions at the Box office (North America and the rest of the world) and are capable of attracting those that thought that comic book based films were for the nerds only. A man dressing up as a bat seems logical when compared to the 1960s.

Batman vs. Superman and Captain America: Civil War represent the end because of the overabundance of characters and plots that are more superficial in nature. They are superficial because they have no significant impact when it comes to altering the original foundations that built these characters. Every new film is only an addition to the existing foundation and not necessarily an overhaul. The revolutionary edge that began with the original films has now worn thin. Overabundance is characterized by serious speculation and a lot of imaginary possibilities. I read comic books in the 1990s and early 2000s and that was a big time for the industry in terms of story lines etc. I was so caught up I would even buy Robin’s comic book series and Batgirl’s (the silent one). The overabundance in that era led to a lot of “what if?” storylines. What if magneto fought the Juggernaut? or What if Wolverine fought Captain America? What if Wonder Woman got together with Superman? Etc.  It became very speculative. There reaches a point where  a good,  plain old story is not enough because the demands of the audience will naturally increase. Apart from The Avengers and maybe Captain America: Winter Soldier marvel has still not produced a film that’s better than Iron Man (2008).  The film that started it all. Regardless, people will demand to see more.  The Iron man series got so ridiculous that even Pepper Potts got superpowers at one point. Tony Stark by Iron Man 3 had a mach 50 suit (just exaggerating). By the time of The Avengers: Age of Ultron he created  Ultron, a robot in his own image, Captain America was tossing motorcycles through the air with apparent ease and Thor was dipping himself in holy water to see his vision and then proceeded to bring the android to life. The Hulk has also faded into the background as a backup strong man. His story is now the most superficial of all which is why they created the romance between Banner and Black widow. So much for Betty Ross.  People will want more and now they will get it in Civil War when the heroes face off with each other which is now a “what if?” or speculative scenario just like Batman vs. Superman. Both films will be introducing many characters in order to keep the excitement high for audiences. Expect more films to introduce more and more. It has been reported that The Avengers: Infinity Wars will have around 69 super powered individuals battling the almighty Thanos. What a way to go out with a bang. If that’s not enough then there are the Inhumans. I have to admit that I am looking forward to Black Panther.  In any case the overload of characters will mean that the party will soon be over. But first we will have to wait for the Justice league Films. They will be battling some overwhelming villains in that as well which will require the service of many super powered individuals. Superhero films are becoming very similar to an animated series. There are even various television shows such as The Flash, which has been well received. There was a good series  featuring The Flash in the 90s as well.  I expect that he will be brought into the Justice League set up soon enough.

Until then one might as well relish the overabundance and the many imaginary possibilities on display. Superhero films are so spectacular that Batman vs. Superman has a budget close to US$400 million. I suspect it will do the usual billion at the box office. A cool US$600 million profit. Civil War might also reach a billion with so many characters being featured that people want to see, including spiderman. Whether or not they are good films is another question. They certainly won’t be great films because they are part of an existing structure to maximize profit opportunities and to keep some interest in the long term plans for the executives. These films won’t be altering that structure in a radical way. They are being created in order to preserve the integrity of the structure with some cool additions or some superficial twists and turns.  A lot will be diluted and overextended in order to ensure this. No wonder people are calling Civil War The Avengers 2.5. Maybe we’ll get yet another peek of Thanos preparing to wage his long awaited war to destroy all life in the universe.  The executives might reach a point where they do pull out before the crash or just keep overproducing until the audience has had enough. Batman and Robin was a glorious failure because it was so spectacularly overproduced. It became so far removed from its own reality. The same is happening now for superhero films in the 21^st century. The golden age is certainly coming to an end. We’re probably in the silver age without realizing it.