Most Modern Superhero Movies No Longer Do Something The Classic Masterpieces Mastered

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The launch of the Marvel Cinematic Universe was a turning point for Hollywood. It sparked a huge wave of superhero movies that has only recently started to decline. Even though recent superhero blockbusters haven’t been as successful at the box office, they still have a major impact on popular culture. Next year’s Avengers: Doomsday is almost guaranteed to be a blockbuster, largely thanks to the return of Robert Downey Jr., who will be playing the villain this time.

Despite their success, today’s superhero movies seem to have missed an important point from older classics. While films like Iron Man and Guardians of the Galaxy are entertaining, they don’t quite have the lasting appeal of something like the 1978 Superman movie. Iron Man really changed the direction of the genre, and it hasn’t really gone back to focusing on what made the earlier films so special.

Classic Superhero Movies Did One Thing Better Than Modern Movies

The 1978 Superman movie was a huge hit, and while Christopher Reeve’s performance was amazing, the film’s incredible soundtrack played a big role. John Williams composed a truly iconic theme song that’s become inseparable from Superman, so much so that James Gunn even used it in the recent reboot. This film helped establish the tradition of giving each superhero their own signature musical theme. For instance, it’s hard to think about the 1988 Batman movie without instantly recalling Danny Elfman’s memorable score.

https://open.spotify.com/watch?v=track/50csT5Qb2qOF7lHdDQ1Sbx

The Marvel Cinematic Universe shifted its approach with 2008’s Iron Man. Marvel aimed for superhero stories that felt realistic and grounded, and that meant moving away from traditional theme songs. Alan Silvestri experimented with a new style in Captain America: The First Avenger and The Avengers, and the entire superhero movie genre might have followed suit if not for James Gunn. Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy used music in a unique and memorable way, and it ultimately overshadowed Silvestri’s earlier work.

Modern Superhero Movies are Implicitly Admitting the Problem

Interestingly, many recent superhero movies now recognize they’ve made a mistake by straying too far from what made earlier versions successful. James Gunn’s upcoming Superman film is a good example – it builds heavily on the themes of the classic Superman movie directed by Richard Donner. Similarly, when Marvel introduced the X-Men, they drew inspiration from the storylines of X-Men: The Animated Series. These choices quietly admit that today’s superhero films are building on the foundations laid by past successes, rather than being completely original works of art.

https://open.spotify.com/watch?v=track/3GIu4yGiUgvDi9ERewkbIa

Despite recent challenges, there are encouraging developments. The opening of Fantastic Four: First Steps had a uniquely cheerful and memorable score, and that was intentional. Because the film took place in a different timeline, Marvel wasn’t constrained by realism. This is a positive sign for the superhero genre as a whole – a move towards bolder, more imaginative stories that can recapture the excitement and fun that originally made these films so appealing.

The genre needs to start creating truly outstanding works again, focusing on original ideas instead of just referencing older ones.

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2025-12-17 00:44