In the past decade or so (to be more precisely, 15 years), the superhero genre has been the one that captured the attention of most of the moviegoers. Starting with the first Bryan Singer film and finishing with this year's Ant-Man (we're not counting the Fantastic Four reboot in here), the audiences have enjoyed the spectacle offered by Marvel and DC, the main competitors on the market.

And the numbers say that the superhero genre has increased in popularity - there are no less than 30 superhero movies from 2016 to 2020 alone, without counting the projects which weren't officially announced.

So what does that mean?

The superhero genre - is it bad for the industry?

Just like with many other trends, the superhero genre has been bashed by many. Most recently, this year, Dan Gilroy (who directed the awesome Nightcrawler) said that these types of blockbusters suffocate the independent or the small budget films.

And it can be said that it is so - how can any film compete with, say, Avengers: Age of Ultron, a movie which had (reportedly and, most likely, without the marketing fees) a budget of $250 million? These types of blockbusters capture the attention of the audiences in any way possible, thus suffocating the smaller or independent films.

In a way or another, the director said that those making superhero films have found a niche in which creativity is trumped by special effects and mindless action.

Of course, James Gunn responded, saying that he has made all types of films - from B-movies to independent and to blockbuster ones.

But do you know who spoke about the superhero genre most recently? The celebrated director Steven Spielberg - check out on the next page!

Steven Spielberg and the superhero genre fatigue

Most recently, Steven Spielberg, during an interview with Associated Press, has talked about the superhero genre.

Backtracking, a couple of years ago, the director said that the blockbuster movies will change the way the industry works at this moment. In a way, he said that at one point or another these types of movies will become less and less bankable for the studios.

So, in his newest interview, the director reiterated what he previously said, further adding that the superhero genre will burn out in the following years (no, he didn't specify a precise date). As an example, he mentioned the western genre: "We were around when the Western died, and there will be a time when the superhero movie goes the way of the Western. It doesn't mean there won't be another occasion where the Western comes back and the superhero movie someday returns. Of course, right now the superhero movie is alive and thriving. I'm only saying that these cycles have a finite time in popular culture. There will come a day when the mythological stories are supplanted by some other genre that possibly some young filmmaker is just thinking about discovering for all of us."

So what can we make of this? Is he right about this? Check out the next page for some thought about the superhero movies overload!

Overload

As Steven Spielberg says, much like the western (which was the go-to genre until the late "˜60's), the superhero genre will fade away simply because the audiences will get tired of it. The western genre isn't the only example which can be given: the war movies, the swords and sandals epics, the historical films, and so on.

And it is easy to see why Steven Spielberg says that - adding the rumored and the unannounced superhero movies, in the following 5 years we will have about 10 superhero flicks per year. Which is a lot. How long can this last, in this rhythm? Not too long, we guess, until the audiences will want something else, something new or at least something different.

But is this the case? Not necessarily - check out the next page too!

The superhero genre as a mix of different other genres

The superhero genre could be in trouble and could become outdated pretty soon - the staggering number of films alone is an argument. However, unlike the western example used by Steven Spielberg, the superhero movies are in fact a combination of different other genres: action, science fiction, fantasy, mystery, crime, and so on.

The westerns were pretty basic from this point of view, with only a few films actually breaking the mold (the epic Unforgiven, which appeared well after the genre died, True Grit). On the other hands, the superhero genre cannot be more different from one movie to another.

So yes, there are people with superpowers (whether technological or biological ones) in these movies - but these can be said to be in the background. The Dark Knight Trilogy was a crime epic, the Guardians of the Galaxy was a sci-fi fantasy epic, Ant-Man was a comedy, the X-Men movies deal with social issues (racism, anti-Semitism, religion, and so on), Captain America: The Winter Soldier was a political thriller, and so on.

As long as the genre keeps evolving, there is no immediate threat of an overload.

But there is one more thing, which has become tiresome for most of the fans of the genre - check out the next page!

There is no suspense any more

Another living legend who has talked most recently about the superhero genre is Emma Thompson (I'll just say that she won 2 Oscars). Granted, she took aim at one specific franchise, but what she said can be applied to the entire genre: "The fact that I know they're going to win out in the end has now slightly interfered with my continuing to go to those movies. If I see yet another Spider-Man, I'm going to have to actually hang myself. I can't do it anymore! They're all marvelous, but how many times can you make this franchise, for crying out loud?” (via Comic Book Movie).

Since 2002, we've had 3 different Spider-Men (including the newest addition to the MCU). So she may be right about this one.

But what about the lack of suspense?

She is partially right about this one too. There is this thing about the current superhero franchise, in which you know from the start that the hero will eventually win. Everybody is safe, simply because we know all the future plans for any given Cinematic Universe.

Did we have any doubts that, eventually, the Guardians of the Galaxy will defeat Ronan? We didn't even believe that the villain will get to use the Power Stone to its full potential! Although we did enjoy how Star Lord distracted him"¦

Did we believe that Zod will make Superman kneel? No - although it was a bit surprising to see the villain having his neck broken in the end"¦

Did we believe that Wolverine will fail in his task to change the future? No, but that Quicksilver scene"¦

But where is Emma Thompson wrong? Check out the next page too!

It's all about the experience

Sure enough, when going to see a superhero movie, we already know that the hero will win. There is no suspense from this point of view. However, that Quicksilver scene"¦

Here and there are hidden gems, very entertaining and enticing shots which make the trip worth the while and then some. I may not have given the best examples on the pervious page, but you certainly get the idea.

So what do you think? Will the superhero genre become obsolete in the following years? Or will it reign supreme until a distant future?