Disney CEO Bob Iger cited Oppenheimer in his argument against superhero fatigue—and Marvel fans have been quick to respond.
2023 was a historic year for the MCU—and not for a good reason. It kicked off with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, the theatrical debut of the next big bad: Kang, played by Jonathan Majors. Not only was the movie bad, but it didn’t even make $500 million, and Majors has since been sacked from the role after his assault conviction.
It didn’t stop there: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 and Loki Season 2 may have been hits, but Secret Invasion was arguably the worst TV show in the franchise to date, and The Marvels was the biggest box office flop to date.
Many believe “superhero fatigue” has set in, with increasingly widespread boredom of comic book adaptations causing them to underperform. However, Iger doesn’t agree.
Bob Iger mocked for Oppenheimer and MCU comparison
While appearing at a conference in San Francisco, Iger pushed back on claims of superhero fatigue, saying it wasn’t an “accident” that the MCU’s Infinity Saga amassed billions of dollars.
“A lot of people think it’s audience fatigue, it’s not audience fatigue. They want great films. And if you build it great, they will come and there are countless examples of that. Some are ours and some are others’. Oppenheimer is a perfect example of that. Just a fantastic film,” he said, as per The Hollywood Reporter.
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Bob Iger doesn't believe there's superhero fatigue"They want great films… if you build it great, they will come… Oppenheimer is a perfect example of that. Just a fantastic film." pic.twitter.com/UELzSXsOgQ
— ScreenTime (@screentime) March 5, 2024
“Focus is really important. We reduced the output of Marvel, both number of films they make and the number of TV shows, and that really becomes critical, but I feel good about the team. I feel good about the IP we’re making. I talked about a lot of the projects. We look years ahead, really. And it’s iterative.”
Iger’s comments have been swiftly torn apart, with one user tweeting: “The CEO of Disney thinking anyone in their machine is capable of making anything close to Oppenheimer is hilarious.”
“Homie couldn’t name a good movie from his own studio,” another wrote. “You know things are in the sh*tter when Iger can’t even name something from his own studio as an example of a good movie,” a third posted.
“So you agree? Your heavy influence over the artists and studios (not just Marvel) has been harming the quality of the films?” a fourth wrote. “Then start making good movies again, ya dumbass. Crazy this man also straight-up admitted to releasing terrible movies. Clown show over at Disney,” a fifth tweeted.
In the meantime, check out our guide to the best movies coming to streaming in March, as well as the TV shows you should be watching.
