Ever since superhero movies and shows entered the mainstream, talk about 'fatigue' has inevitably followed – most notably in the rush of post-Avengers: Endgame projects looking to capitalize on its success.
Now, Invincible creator Robert Kirkman – who knows a thing or two about keeping superhero stories fresh, having written almost 150 issues of the comic and adapting it for several seasons on Prime Video – says that superhero fatigue isn't a real thing, but you still need to bring something special to the table to stand out.
"I don't think superhero fatigue is a real thing, but I do think that the genre of superhero storytelling has become so ubiquitous that it's gotten to a point where it's not fresh and it's not new," Kirkman told Variety ahead of Invincible season 3.
"You can't just be a superhero show and not have anything special about you anymore because I think the novelty has worn off. But that's really exciting to me, because now it means that everyone is so familiar with superheroes that you can push things in interesting directions."
Previously, Infinity War and Endgame directors Joe and Anthony Russo came out swinging against the idea of superhero fatigue, instead suggesting that a dip in interest in the MCU (and other superhero media) was down to a "generational divide."
"There's a big generational divide about how you consume media. There's a generation that's used to appointment viewing and going to a theater on a certain date to see something, but it's ageing out," Joe Russo told GamesRadar+ last year. "Meanwhile the new generation are 'I want it now, I want to process it now', then moving onto the next thing, which they process whilst doing two other things at the same time."
Next up for Kirkman is Invincible season 3, a supercharged new entry in the animated Amazon series and one that sees hero Mark Grayson don a new blue suit.
Our own Invincible season 3 review praised its attitude towards shaking up the status quo, plus its more streamlined approach to storytelling. So, it seems the superhero genre doesn't need a wake-up call just yet.
For more, check out the Invincible season 3 release schedule. If you're in more of a Marvel mood, you'll need our guide to upcoming Marvel movies.
