When choice is a prison, is it even worth trying to keep up?

Lately I have come down with a sickness that I believed was just a myth. But it’s real. I have come down with the Superhero Fatigue. Symptoms include no longer being hyped up for the next superhero release, not paying any attention to the hero kicking ass on the screen and scrolling through Twitter instead and, worst of all, not even watching the newest and hottest release at all.

As I write this, the symptoms haven’t completely taken a hold – I’m still up to date with the Black Lightning TV show, I’ve watched Black Panther in the cinema (I thought it was really good) and I’m up to date with the Star Wars: Rebels TV show. I’m holding on.

I will always make time for the superhero movies when they come out in the cinema, but that’s because even though there’s seemingly a new film every six weeks, those six weeks in-between give me just enough time to reset and to look forward to the next release.

Having said that, increasingly I’ve found myself not enjoying these blockbusters on my second viewing at home. I really loved watching Wonder Woman in the cinema – it had great action pieces, the score was brilliant, and the actors were wonderful. But when I bought it on DVD I found myself scrolling through my phone the whole time because I realised that the film shares the same formula as any other Marvel film; the action is good, the comedy doesn’t hold up, and the story is only there to serve the overall story arc of that universe.

Regardless, at least the films have some sort or recovery period between them – and I don’t have to watch them twice. No,  I point the blame at the myriad TV shows for bringing about this illness.

A simpler time

I remember a time when it was just Arrow and Agents of SHILED on TV. Back then I was thirsty for more superhero content, excited at the idea of The Flash getting his own show. Now there’s Flash, Supergirl, Legends of Tomorrow, Daredevil, Legion, Jessica Jones, Iron Fist, Luke Cage, The Punisher, Black Lightning, Fear/Walking Dead, Preacher, The Tick, Gotham, The Gifted, Runaways, and many more.

At any given time, it seems as if there’s always five superhero TV shows going on at the same time – it’s simply too much.

Last year I stopped watching The Flash (Season 4) altogether once the mid-season break started because I started getting incredibly busy with work. But even when the show came back on the air and I actually had the time to carry on with it, I chose not to because I realised it’s all becoming a bit too samey for me.

It was a similar case with Arrow. I was tired of watching Amell mope around because he didn’t know if should start killing people again or if he and Felicity were over as a couple. In fact I may have come down with this fatigue back in 2012/13 when Avengers Assemble came out on DVD alongside Arrow premiering it’s first season. I was disappointed with Avengers when I rewatched it at home and was looking forward to get my fix from Arrow – look at how that turned out.

The cure

Not all is doom and gloom for me though, I’ve been working on a cure for a while. What I find myself doing now is watching a given superhero film in the cinema, talking, tweeting, and watching videos about it, but then pushing that amazing experience deep into the back of my mind. That way, when needed,  I can call upon my archived memory of said film without it being a chore. It helps greatly if I don’t buy the DVD, that way I don’t get disappointed with something I thought was good.

My remedy for TV is as follows; stick to two (three at a max) prioritised TV show seasons at a time to stop your brain from overloading with nerd fuel. Then between seasons binge a different season from another show.

Right now I’ve prioritised watching Black Lightning, Star Wars: Rebels, and the first thing I watch every Tuesday morning: The Walking Dead. Black Lighting has always been a character I’ve wanted on the big screen as he’s one of favourite heroes, I’m still riding The Last Jedi nerd wave so Rebels is a must as it’s recently expanded the limits of the Force, and Walking Dead just because it’s a guilty pleasure.

I won’t be buying Black Panther on DVD, but rather The Last Jedi on Blu-Ray when that comes out, and I’m wagering that Infinity War will come out on DVD near Christmas, so I’ll cop that due to it being such a huge event film.

Thank you for reading this piece, if you made it down this far then I’ll know and clap for you. Sorry I’ve been inactive on this site, three reasons: I’m near enough working full time now, Fortnite, and laziness. If you liked this piece then give us a like and a share, if you feel the same way as I then you can tweet me at @charliewarnerw. But if you didn’t like this piece then I hope you suffer with Superhero Fatigue the worst and never watch a super hero film/programme ever again…