On a recent episode of the “Happy Sad Confused” podcast, Tom Hanks shared that he’s never had a meeting with Kevin Feige to discuss joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe, nor has he spoken with James Gunn about the new DC Universe.
Despite his absence from superhero movies, Hanks has no issues with the genre itself. However, he’s observed a shift in audiences, who now seem more drawn to authentic storytelling than to visual effects-driven comic book spectacles.
“Remember back in the 1970s and ’80s when they tried TV versions of Captain America and Spider-Man? Even Batman with Adam West?” Hanks noted.
“The technology back then couldn’t replicate the look of comic books on screen. Now, it can. You can do anything at all.
Maybe Christopher Reeve’s Superman was the first that came close because of advancements in wire removal technology. We all believed a man could fly. It was incredible.”
Hanks continued by saying that today’s limitless digital effects mean we’re at “a luxury of riches,” yet it brings audiences back to a fundamental question: “OK, but what is the story?”
He explained, “You could create a vision of Lake Michigan filled with cuckoo clocks that form a three-headed dragon breathing fire on Chicago. You can do that. But what’s the purpose? What is it saying about us?”
He reflected on how, for a time, viewers saw themselves in DC and MCU characters: “I feel like an X-Man sometimes. I’m as confused as Spider-Man. I’m as angry as Batman. I love my country like Captain America.
We had 20 years of looking through those ideals, and now we’re at a point where we ask: And what’s the story? What’s the theme? What’s the movie’s point?”
The comic book movie genre has struggled at the box office recently. In 2023, major releases like Shazam: Fury of the Gods, The Flash, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, and The Marvels all underperformed.
This year, Madame Web and Joker: Folie à Deux have also disappointed, while Venom: The Last Dance debuted with the trilogy’s lowest earnings.
Yet Marvel’s Deadpool & Wolverine has become the second-highest-grossing film of 2024 and set a new record as the biggest R-rated release, grossing $1.3 billion. For Hanks, this signals that audiences aren’t interested in VFX alone.
“The industry tends to think, ‘If this worked once, it’ll work again.’ But the audience is ahead of that,” the Oscar-winning actor explained.
“They see what’s familiar and think, ‘I’ve already seen that. What’s next?’ And it’s not just about visuals. It’s about, ‘What’s the story? What does it say about me?’ Every year, it feels like we’re entering new territory on that front.”
