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In the post-Avengers: Endgame era, “superhero fatigue” is often blamed for box office disappointment. Marvel’s struggle to match the might of Endgame since its 2019 release is well documented, and the now defunct DC Extended Universe went out with a whimper when Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom came out in 2023. Sure, there have been bright spots. The Spider-Man movies continue to draw critical and commercial acclaim, and let’s not forget Deadpool & Wolverine brought in over $1 billion at the box office. But, all told, there is plenty of evidence to suggest that audiences became tired by the sheer volume of superhero… content, most of which struggled to match the quality of previous phases.
But, for Peter Safran, co-CEO of DC Studios alongside James Gunn, there was never superhero fatigue. Speaking to The Associated Press, he insisted there was instead “mediocre movie fatigue.” His point is that superhero movies just weren’t as good any more, resulting in a desire from audiences for something a bit different.
This, he said, is where the upcoming Supergirl movie comes in. “I never felt that there was superhero fatigue. I felt it was mediocre movie fatigue,” Safran said. “You gotta try something new. You have to change the game a little bit. The essential story on which Supergirl is based is something cool and original and we haven’t seen before.”
Supergirl follows on from last year’s DCU kickstarter, Superman, and stars Milly Alcock as Kara Zor-El. Jason Momoa, who played Aquaman in the DCEU, appears in the movie as Lobo, with Krem of the Yellow Hills, played by Matthias Schoenaerts, the villain of the piece. Kara, driven to drink by the destruction of her homeworld, fights to save Krypto the Superdog from dying from the effects of some sort of poison.
Here’s the official blurb:
When an unexpected and ruthless adversary strikes too close to home, Kara Zor-El, aka Supergirl, reluctantly joins forces with an unlikely companion on an epic, interstellar journey of vengeance and justice.
Supergirl is heavily inspired by Tom King and Bilquis Evely’s comic, Woman of Tomorrow, which features a very different Supergirl than audiences are perhaps accustomed to. IGN attended a press conference last year in which Gunn, Alcock, and director Craig Gillespie talked enthusiastically about Supergirl. During the conference, Gunn insisted Supergirl was a completely different move than Superman, before Gillespie confirmed it takes place entirely in space.
“They are so different in tone,” Gillespie said. “And to be able to really lean into it and embrace it… and plus… are we allowed to say this? The whole movie takes place in outer space.”
Gunn added: “The outer space thing’s a big part of it because it is a space fantasy.”
2026 sees a number of significant superhero movie releases, a release schedule that will surely test Safran’s theory. After Supergirl comes out in June, Spider-Man: Brand New Day comes out in July, Clayface — a bonafide body horror movie — comes out in October, and, capping things off, Avengers: Doomsday comes out in December.
2027 is similarly packed with superhero films, with Superman follow-up Man of Tomorrow, Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse, The Batman: Part II, and Avengers: Secret Wars all due out in theaters next year.
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
