Robert Kirkman, the comic book writer who was behind Image Comics‘ “The Walking Dead” and “Invincible,” has made their stamp in the world of television and superheroes. He is now sharing some opinions concerning why the enthusiasm for certain superhero projects hasn’t been at the level of the past, and is under the impression that the novelty of the MCU model has worn off with audiences, but stops short of saying that superhero fatigue has truly set in.
Speaking with Total Film/Games Radar to help promote the fourth season of “Invincible,” Kirkman believes that while fans/audiences haven’t given up on their “hunger for superhero material,” they have become much more “discerning” on what they’re willing to support. Stating that “just being a really good superhero thing is not going to cut the mustard,” alluding to stories needing to give people more than just their favorite characters on the screen interacting with each other.
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“I think that superhero storytelling was so novel when the Marvel Cinematic Universe started,” Kirkman said of the state of superhero fatigue. “There was such a different feel to all that stuff that it was special in and of itself. And just seeing Iron Man existing and seeing Thor and Captain America together, everything was so new and exciting that it fed that machine for so very long. I think that we’re not necessarily seeing superhero fatigue in general. I think it’s just that the audience has gotten used to that. And so now the audience is very much like, ‘Well, what have you done for me lately?’ I think that is kind of the mode that we’re in now.”
The veteran creative continued, “If you’re going to do a big superhero thing, it has to be special, and it has to be unique, and it has to add something. Just being a really good superhero thing is not going to cut the mustard because if we want a really good superhero thing, we have almost a hundred options. So I think that’s what we’re experiencing now. And I think that as we’re seeing the landscape changing, everything that’s working now brings some kind of new element to it that’s novel and unique and exciting and different. And I think there’s no diminished hunger for superhero material. It’s just that the audience is, I think, a little bit more discerning.”
We have to point out that Kirkman is much more hands-on with the animated series adaptation than he was with AMC‘s multiple “The Walking Dead” shows, executive-produced by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, of this mature superhero comic book, as he’s not only the co-creator of the Prime Video show with Simon Racioppa, but also the co-showrunner as well. So, with that in mind, his opinion on the genre isn’t flippant and comes from being intensively involved with both worlds of entertainment and comics.
Often seen as a send-up of the superhero genre, “Invincible” does an extremely good job at making most characters as interesting and cool as humanly possible, including various villains and heroes. This take on a superhero universe also happens to hold a rather high body count, adding an extra level of stakes you don’t really see with Marvel/DC projects (character resurrections, endless reboots, and Multiverse gimmicks tend to temper down stakes with many modern superhero films/shows these days).
If you weren’t already aware, Season 4 of Kirkman’s “Invincible” debuted on Prime Video today.
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