I’ve really enjoyed Watchmen. Having seen both Watchmen series and Joker recently, I was reminded of Martin Scorsese’s harsh critique of the Marvel universe. At first I said he could get lost but now I’m more sympathetic. Both of these productions (and to a lesser extent Glass) showed the dimensions we can explore with superheroes. I love how they took Watchmen in a completely different direction from Snyder aesthetically and contextually replacing the impending nuclear doom with the racial tensions and terrorist threats of our time, and centering the superheroes therein. And that’s much more interesting, understanding the strengths and vulnerabilities of heroes within this lens. Joker was very much the same way, with relevant questions about threatened masculinity, real and perceived injustice and class tensions.
Marvel movies in contrast have very little of this kind of commentary. They do feel like Disney theme parks in comparison as Scorsese said. Now, there is space for that, just as there is space for every movie The Rock makes. I just hope there is more of this kind of content alongside the Marvel universe
