10 Ways to Make Superhero Movies More Interesting

There are so many superhero movies, but they can still be good

The era of superhero movies has been long, and it doesn’t feel like it’s going to end anytime soon. The only problem is we certainly are getting a lot of them that feel like the same old, same old. But there is no limit to creativity, and thus there is no reason superhero movies can’t feel fresh and new again.

Here are ten ways to make superhero movies more interesting… or I think ten. I didn’t actually count them. But it’s like those ten-item or less lanes at the supermarket — you’re fine as long as it looks like it’s about ten.

Tenish Ways to Make Superhero Movies More Interesting

• Work first on having realistic characters. Even with superpowers, the characters should feel like real people, with real backgrounds and motivation. It doesn’t matter how fantastic the plot is, we want every action they take to make sense from their point of view.

• Change the time and location up. It doesn’t all have to take place in modern times in a big city (specifically, New York). Cities do give more opportunities for heroics, so maybe a different city — like San Francisco. And it doesn’t have to be the modern era. Maybe it could take place in the early 70s.

• Take time to let your characters develop. The protagonist shouldn’t just start out with superpowers, but start as a real person who develops into a hero. Maybe he was already doing something heroic, like working as a detective looking into serial killings. Let that plot develop before getting to the more fantastical stuff.

• Place them against the system. Instead of having the heroes working for the government (or some made-up group like SHIELD), have them always clashing with authority — like with our detective getting his badge taken away because he’s doing what needs to be done, even if the liberals in charge don’t like it.

• Make the stories grounded in reality. I know that’s hard with superheroes with all their crazy powers, but maybe they don’t have to be anything scifi. Maybe our hero could just be someone with a lot of resolve and a .44 magnum.

• Wait, this is just Dirty Harry. I’m just describing the movie Dirty Harry, aren’t I?

• Wow, we really used to watch movies like that in the theater. I mean, instead of something with colorful superheroes flying around, people actually went to the theater to see some gritty detective bend the rules to bring down the bad guy? Well, not me; I wasn’t born yet when it came out.

• I have the Dirty Harry DVD set, don’t I? I can still watch it right now. No more superhero slop — let’s see a homicide detective commit some homicides!

• This is really not appropriate for kids. More swearing and nudity than I remembered. Well, I guess I’ll have to watch this myself, and the kids can watch the stupid Marvel movies.

And there you go — ten (approximately) ways to make superhero movies better.