Superhero cinema has dominated entertainment for over ten years but 2024 saw numerous movies ranging wildly in quality from fresh and vibrant to woeful and unwatchable. Only nine superhero movies had theatrical releases which saw the DCEU inactive during regrouping phases and MCU unusually quiet barring Deadpool & Wolverine’s release.
2024 Superhero Movies That Missed the Mark: Madame Web The Crow and Kraven the Hunter Underwhelm Audiences
Many films in the genre failed in many aspects including Madame Web released in 2024. Madame Web serves as an origin film about a paramedic portrayed by Dakota Johnson obtaining clairvoyant abilities and psychic abilities following an accident while fighting to rescue young women and dealing with a dark past. Madame Web has awkward and monotonous plotting alongside terrible visual effects and poor editing. The film struggles to meet basic requirements of entertainment that make other films in the genre watchable. The Crow released in August is another movie struggling to resonate with viewers after stranded development for many years. The Crow remake that failed is another major disappointment of the year with the films issues ranging from poor story pacing and also very poor chemistry between stars Bill Skarsgård and FKA Twigs. Kraven the Hunter debuted in December to add to many negative impressions regarding films within the genre using a poor storyline coupled with abysmal visuals and an ill fitting tone inside Sony's Spider-Man Universe SSU which makes it one of the worst films in the franchise.
Mixed Responses and Missed Potential Within 2024’s Superhero Movie Lineup
Hellboy: The Crooked Man tries to hide poor writing with over the top presentation and bombastic styles resulting in monotonous sequences ultimately unable to match other entries of the franchise or other titles in the superhero scene as a whole. The movie features a stellar performance by Jack Kesy yet the story and narrative aspects did not live up to standard. Joker: Folie à Deux acts as a controversial follow up to an initial polarizing tale starring Joaquin Phoenix as Arthur Fleck during his trial two years after the initial film's narrative however some parts work like Lady Gaga's turn as Harley Quinn. Joker: Folie à Deux suffered from lack of compelling urgency due to lack of proper plot direction resulting in lower box office turnouts. Venom: The Last Dance continues to display issues in this line with menial storylines despite Tom Hardy's efforts as both Eddie Brock and Venom and that their banter provides some distracting entertainment yet in end it could not properly serve its overall goals. Venom: The Last Dance eschewed those antics that is very important to the film's overall brand that provides strength making it just moderately enjoyable.
Animation Surpasses Live Action: 'Ultraman Rising' and 'My Hero Academia' Bring Joy and Creativity to Superhero Genre
Animated films in the superhero genre rose during this time as many live action films faltered in their release periods. Netflix Animation’s Ultraman: Rising a Japanese American co-production follows a star baseball player named Ken Sato voiced by Christopher Sean returns home to Tokyo becoming a hero in the process. Ultraman: Rising presents a very colorful viewing experience while showcasing very great character interactions that both children and adults can fully engage. My Hero Academia: You’re Next the fourth film in the series provides extravagant animation with solid narrative which follows young Izuko Midoriya voiced by Justin Briner against a villain that bullies his favorite superhero further solidifying the anime's place as a top tier film inside its respective genre. My Hero Academia: You're Next presents an amazing view that has incredible animation and action with highly engaging characters.
Deadpool & Wolverine's Blockbuster Success and a Ray of Hope within 2024 Superhero Films
Deadpool & Wolverine became the highest-grossing live action film at the box office making 1.3 Billion Dollars which solidifies the presence of MCU as it still retains dominance in financial gain despite several underperforming movies from 2024. Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman show that they have an incredible bond in Deadpool & Wolverine and that there remains high audience appreciation for the both actors during the high production spectacle . The film features the mismatched superhero duo attempt to save multiverse drawing upon all the relevant parts of the characters story for all fans to enjoy while harkening back to underappreciated characters with sincere appreciation from past films.
Specific Analysis of Underperforming Movies: Issues Surrounding Madame Web The Crow and SSU Movies
Madame Web with Dakota Johnson portraying the titular character became one of the worst-reviewed films of 2024 receiving criticisms from story structure plus visual effects and editing while also not launching new movie series as initially planned. The Crow released in 2024 experienced extreme troubles relating to development hell since 2008 and ultimately delivered a forgettable cinematic release with Bill Skarsgård and FKA Twigs lacking on screen charisma alongside a rehashed and boring story and tone that didn’t create excitement. Kraven the Hunter serves to indicate SSU’s continued inability to generate a hit film in the larger context of cinematic releases that features an uninspired story and a series of weak visual elements that do not help overall production quality with its lack of exciting entertainment for its fan base.
Hellboy's Narrative Incoherence, and the Missed Potential within the "Joker" Sequel: "Folie à Deux."
Hellboy: The Crooked Man struggles due to lack of script integrity. The film attempts to overcompensate through sheer overproduction by making B-movie choices which ends up overshadowing overall action scenes despite an amazing performance from Jack Kesy as main character. Joker: Folie à Deux struggles with plot pacing despite great efforts by Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga which could not elevate its storyline. There was very mixed reviews with film and low reception at the box office for the Joker: Folie à Deux after the initial Joker movie had so much financial and public appreciation. Venom: The Last Dance did not live up to its source potential using a basic "save the world" story that did not make use of the unique elements from Eddie and Venom and could not engage viewers to a high extent compared to earlier iterations of films.
Animation in Superhero Genre, and how 'Ultraman Rising' and "My Hero Academia" Shine in 2024
Ultraman: Rising had eye popping displays plus fun adventure while providing unique and engaging elements through main character Ken Sato along with many important story related elements which helped improve the experience for children and adult audiences. My Hero Academia: You're Next presents a great option within the series that continues to draw fans via solid narrative and action elements that build excitement featuring Izuko Midoriya’s character progression. My Hero Academia films create an excellent opportunity for many who watch anime to connect to these characters on larger scales when it is viewed on the silver screen. The My Hero Academia brand has been growing for a long time following many seasons of success.
Deadpool & Wolverine's Performance In Comparison With Previous MCU and Other Similar Productions
Deadpool & Wolverine showed amazing financial performances as a standout exception from the 2024 releases of superhero movies. The film showcases Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman performing extremely well as iconic leads along with an amazing storyline. Deadpool and Wolverine offered an important path towards the next stages of Marvel Comic’s plans demonstrating it's ongoing presence in large scale movie making. This specific entry from Marvel allowed a new direction in storytelling and production for this upcoming period in Marvel history using past characters that all Marvel fans would be familiar with while making them accessible and interesting to all audience members.