Superhero movies have taken over in recent years. DC Comics and Marvel Studios have for long been the powerhouses where superhero movies are concerned and the biggest entertainment conglomerates such as Disney, Fox and Warner Bros have focused on this market. The biggest movies released this year have been superhero-based with Marvel and DC releasing sequels to their much-beloved franchises and even a few new superheroes being unveiled.

Superheroes have not been restricted to the silver screen, with comic books benefitting greatly from this resurgence. These are most definitely the golden years of superheroes.

The Biggest Thus Far

Some of the biggest superhero movies this year include Spider-man: Homecoming which was very well received by fans of the ‘friendly neighbourhood’ superhero. Others include Guardians of the Galaxy 2, Thor; Ragnarok, Justice League and The Lego Batman Movie which was a spin-off of the popular Lego Movie.

Fans of the popular mutant franchise, X-Men were treated to the very successful Logan which received critical acclaim thanks to its storyline that deviated from the usual X-Men storyline.

The biggest superhero movie of the year was Wonder Woman, a thrilling movie that followed the journey of Princess Diana. Diana was born in the Amazon and lived there all her life till the day she met an American pilot who told her all about the conflict and wars in the world. She decides to join a new war that seeks to end all these wars and restore peace to the world.

Why are superheroes so popular?

Superheroes are usually ordinary people who at some point discover an extraordinary ability within them. Superman, for instance, is a reporter by the name Clark Kent. These superheroes lead us to believe that we too can discover abilities that we didn’t know existed and that there’s something special in everyone.

The storylines which always revolve around the superhero defeating the villain also make superheroes popular. They convince us that good will always overcome evil and that as long as we do the right thing, all will be well. This is especially important for the younger audience who are moulding their principles and beliefs.

The merchandise industry

The rise of the superheroes led to a new mega-dollar industry of superhero based merchandise. These include clothing, accessories, toys, home and office furniture as well as online slot games. These are very well received by the legion of fans of the various franchises. Avengers has made $1 billion in merchandise sales while Spider-man has hit over $1.5 billion in merchandise sales and shows no sign of stopping anytime soon