‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ and the Death of Hollywood Franchises
Hollywood franchise films may not have started as theme parks, but the drive to eliminate risk will quickly turn them into the very thing their detractors fear.
superheroes
Masterpiece or Mess? Reevaluating DC Comic’s ‘Doomsday Clock’
Understanding the appeal of Doomsday Clock has nothing to do with it being a good or bad comics series. The real question is: does it matter?
‘The Flash’ and Its Disposable Heroes of Multiversity
The story that takes up most of The Flash’s running time is about something that never happened, and worse, the film skips over the hard part of multiversity storytelling.
‘What If…?’ Marvel Studios Tries Something Completely Different?
Marvel Studios’ What If…? on Disney+ is an intriguing animated and narrative exercise in the MCU, but why isn’t it as exciting as we anticipated?
Marvel Studios ‘Black Widow’ Mishandles the MCU’s Most Popular Female Character
Marvel Studios’ Black Widow was too little, too late for the MCU’s most popular female character due partially to misogynistic business practices at Disney.
‘The Batman’ Is Just Another Incel Fantasy of Entitlement
Matt Reeves’ meandering faux-profound take on Batman spends its over-long runtime telling women to shut up and do as they’re told or face the consequences.
Marvel’s ‘The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’ Fails to Capitalize on a Strong Premise
Marvel’s Falcon and the Winter Soldier on Disney+ follows the legacy of Captain America in the MCU, but its timely racially and politically charged plot lacks focus.
Marvel’s ‘Eternals’: Haven’t We Seen This Story Before?
The cast of Eternals may be the broodiest Marvel characters to date, but that’s about the only “new” thing about this film.
Marvel’s ‘WandaVision’ Echos Our Lasting Pandemic Grief
Addressing pandemic-induced topics such as loss, grief, and mental illness, Marvel’s ‘WandaVision’ serves as a metaphor for life in the time of COVID.
The New Mutants’ Cursed Journey to Theaters: A Horror Story
The New Mutants had a long, circuitous journey to the big screen as the final Marvel Comics film produced by 20th Century Fox before its merger with Disney.
‘Captain America: Civil War’ Mirrors Another Kind of American Civil War
In the Russo Brothers' Captain America: Civil War, friend turns on friend, and no easy resolution is reached. It's rather like the toxic online fan culture that followed the film's release.
How ‘Watchmen’ and ‘The Boys’ Deconstruct American Fascism
Superhero media has a history of critiquing the dark side of power, hero worship, and vigilantism, but none have done so as radically as Watchmen and The Boys.