The era of the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been going strong (for the most part) for the last 18 years. The first film, Iron Man (2008) blew audiences away with its originality and vision, and the franchise really found its footing once Captain America and The Avengers entered the picture. There have been highs and lows along the way, but after the last few years of churning out more misses than hits, a recalibration was done, and it seems like we are about to embark on an exciting saga. DC is a whole different beast, with many highs and lows as well. While inconsistency in story telling and a lack of the resources Marvel had seemed to be some of the biggest hurdles for that studio for so long, fans were hopeful with the hiring of James Gunn, who had proven that he had a solid knack for storytelling in the superhero genre. He made Superman right out of the gate, which was beautifully done, but Craig Gillespie’s Supergirl has majorly underperformed in the box office and with critics and fans. In response, an anonymous studio head said to The Hollywood Reporter: “Gen Z doesn’t care about superheroes. That genre belongs to millennials.”Iman Vellani, best known for playing Ms. Marvel in the MCU, recently did an AMA for League of Comic Geeks. When asked about the claim concerning superhero movies and Gen Z, she pushed back on the idea, saying, “Westerns, musicals, and romcoms went through this. Every genre goes through cycles. Our generation grew up with an abundance of superhero stories, so perhaps the novelty has worn off, which is natural. The bar is higher now, and we’re looking for stories that feel specific and emotional—especially in the age of AI.”She went on to add that she believes studios need to make superhero movies that “evolve and grow alongside their audience. I think Gen Z responds incredibly well to superheroes when they’re treated as people first. We want honesty from our storytellers. We want our intelligence respected. The answer isn’t to abandon the genre, but to find new stories that can only be told through this genre.”I think Vellani’s sentiments are accurate for fans of all ages. We’ve seen the movies full of action and fighting, and when done right, they’re great. But when we stick with characters for years, or even decades, we need to see them evolve and become better, not just as superheroes, but as people. I think this is a note that studios have heard and are taking note of. Thunderbolts* was a perfect example of this. While it had plenty of action and intrigue, the story was about friendship and mental health, and I think the success of the movie was a testament to our hunger for stories that hit on a deeper level. via: Gizmodo