Paul Dano, who starred in The Batman as the villain Riddler, is weighing in on superhero fatigue and has a positive outlook on it.
Dano’s comments come as The Flash, The Marvels, and most recently Madame Web, presented less than stellar results at the box office, with the actor saying that the fatigue can lead to better films or alternative stories.
“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,” Dano told The Independent in an interview promoting Spaceman. “I’m sure there will still be some good ones yet to come, but I think it’s kind of a welcome moment.”
He continued, “It’s a larger thing, too. 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.”
Dano also theorized as to why Matt Reeves’ The Batman, despite being a superhero film, was accepted by audiences.
“There are enough comic book movies where you just know what you’re gonna get,” he said. “Reading the script for The Batman, you knew it was a real film. Every sentence… that’s just [writer/director] Matt Reeves.”
A sequel to The Batman is scheduled to be released on October 3, 2025, with Robert Pattinson in the starring role.
