‘The Batman’ Star Paul Dano Says Superhero Fatigue Is a ‘Welcome Moment’

Paul Dano attends the "Spaceman" premiere during the 74th Berlinale International Film Festival Berlin at Berlinale Palast in Berlin, Germany, on Feb. 21, 2024. Andreas Rentz/Getty Images for Netflix

Actor Paul Dano—who played the masked villain Riddler in 2022’s “The Batman,” opposite “Twilight” star Robert Pattinson as the titular character—has voiced his opinion about the effects of superhero fatigue, calling it a “welcome moment” in the film industry, the Independent reported.

Discussions on superhero burnout have largely swirled as of late—fueled by notions of the oversaturation of superhero movies and their dwindling popularity.

However, the 39-year-old actor still has high hopes for the action-packed genre. He described two possible outcomes for future superhero films: Either better comic book-based movies will be made, or entirely new types of storylines will emerge in their place.

“It’s an interesting moment where everybody has to go like, ‘OK—what now?’ Hopefully from that, somebody either breathes new life into [comic book movies], or something else blossoms which is not superheroes,” he told the publication, noting that he still believes “some good” superhero films are on the way.

“It’s a larger thing, too,” he continued. “As soon as the word ‘content’ came into what we do – meaning making movies or TV – it meant quantity over quality, which I think was a big misstep. And I certainly don’t need that as a viewer or as an artist.”

Quantity was certainly the theme for superhero content in 2023, which saw a slew of films and shows hit theaters and the small screen, including season two of “I Am Groot” and “Loki,” “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,” “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3,” “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,” “The Marvels,” and “The Flash.”

“Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” and “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” managed to rake in a combined $1.5 billion worldwide, per Forbes.

However, box office flops like 2023’s  “The Marvels” and “The Flash” generated largely tepid returns. The former was Marvel Cinematic Universe’s lowest-grossing film, bringing in only $110 million globally, per Deadline. The latter also bombed at the box office, putting Warner Bros. on track to lose over $200 million, according to Hypebeast.

Superhero Fatigue

Mr. Dano isn’t the only notable voice to speak out on the issue of superhero fatigue. James Gunn, the co-chief executive officer of DC Studios, has also weighed in on the debate.

In an April 2023 interview with Rolling Stone, he said he does believe there is some truth behind superhero burnout.

“I think there is such a thing as superhero fatigue,” Mr. Gunn, director of “Guardians of the Guardian Vol. 3,” told the publication. However, he noted that he didn’t think it had anything to do with the superheroes themselves but rather “the kind of stories that get to be told.”

“We love Superman. We love Batman. We love Iron Man. Because they’re these incredible characters that we have in our hearts,” he explained.

“If it becomes just a bunch of nonsense onscreen, it gets really boring,” he said, adding that he tends to get fatigued by films that don’t have an “emotionally grounded” storyline.

“It doesn’t have anything to do with whether they’re superhero movies or not,” he continued.

“If you don’t have a story at the base of it, just watching things bash each other, no matter how clever those bashing moments are, no matter how clever the designs and the VFX are, it just gets fatiguing, and I think that’s very, very real,” he said.

‘The Batman’ Avoids Burnout

Mr. Gunn’s assessment of superhero fatigue may be one reason the highly acclaimed film “The Batman” was able to avoid the swell of burnout.

The movie—directed by Matt Reeves and featuring an ensemble cast, including Zoë Kravitz, Colin Farrell, Jeffrey Wright, John Turturro, and Barry Keoghan—had a budget of around $200 million. However, it managed to gross over $770 million at the box office, claiming the coveted spot of the seventh-highest-grossing film in 2022, per MovieWeb.

Mr. Dano, who also starred in 2006’s “Little Miss Sunshine” and 2013’s “12 Years a Slave,” also attributed the movie’s success to the comic book character’s notoriety. However, he also lauded the director’s expertise. In addition to directing the film, Mr. Reeves co-wrote the screenplay with Peter Craig, who is best known for his work on “The Town” and “Top Gun: Maverick.”

“There are enough comic book movies where you just know what you’re gonna get,” Mr. Dano told the Independent.

“Reading the script for ‘The Batman,’ you knew it was a real film,” he continued. “Every sentence… that’s just [writer/director] Matt Reeves.”

In April 2022, Warner Bros. announced that a sequel to “The Batman” was in the works. The film, reportedly titled “The Batman: Part II,” is expected to hit theaters in October 2025.