In the wake of both the MCU and the DC universe dishing out a series of underwhelming offerings, talk of superhero fatigue potentially setting in has heated up like never before. Even Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 director and new DC chief James Gunn has admitted that even he thinks it’s a concern. It’s ironic, then, that his latest movie confirms that audiences really aren’t getting bored of comic book cinema, although critics might be.

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With Guardians 3 releasing worldwide, the film’s critical score has been fixed and its audience score has been activated. While its 80 percent Tomatometer rating is nothing to sniff at, it is somewhat disappointing as it means it’s apparently the weakest of the trilogy. On the other hand, Vol. 3‘s audience score is sitting at a whopping 96 percent at the time of writing. That’s bound to slip somewhat over its opening weekend, but it’s worth pointing out that means the threequel is currently the highest-rated of the trilogy according to users. A glimpse at social media will also tell that you many believe it to be the best of the bunch.

This Guardians 3 situation only compounds a trend that’s carried through all three of 2023’s Marvel/DC releases so far. Both Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and Shazam! Fury of the Gods had to bear the brunt of having Rotten RT critics scores in the 40s range and yet they sport practically double that figure in audience ratings. Filmmakers often trot out the old “we made this for the fans, not the critics” excuse to defend a poorly received movie, but it seems like this is becoming truer and truer as time goes on.

Clearly, superhero fans are essentially enjoying Marvel and DC productions as much as ever but it’s the critics who are the ones suffering from increased boredom with the genre. Yes, it is a fact that box office numbers have been down too of late, but this could potentially be informed by the harsh reviews which turn would-be audiences away, thereby perpetuating the myth of superhero fatigue and creating a vicious cycle.

With critics and fans duking it out over whether Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is the best or the worst of the trio, we have proof that the superhero movie is as wide awake as ever.