Zack Snyder accurately predicted the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s future nearly 15 years ago with absolute precision.

Whatever one’s opinion may be on the Snyderverse, people have to agree that Zack Snyder totally nailed one prediction about the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Almost fifteen years ago, Snyder foresaw a superhero universe getting so bloated with content that it would eventually tire everyone out. And guess what? He wasn’t just throwing shade, he was indeed on point.

Since the MCU kicked off in 2008, it’s been pumping out superhero content like nobody’s business. But now, with the relentless flood of new content, the audience has hit a saturation point. The era of superhero fatigue, and Snyder saw it coming long before everyone else!

Zack Snyder Knew All Along What Was Going to Happen with the MCU

In 2008, during an interview with Entertainment Weekly to promote Watchmen, Zack Snyder was asked about his experience adapting the material in a landscape that was relatively unaccustomed to superhero films.

At that moment, Snyder took the opportunity to unintentionally foretell the fate MCU would suffer in the future, particularly post-Endgame. He hinted at potential future challenges for the superhero genre, suggesting that the industry might face a saturation point. His insights, in fact, have proven to be remarkably accurate in the years since. He said,

The average movie audience has seen — well, I can’t even count the amount of superhero movies. Fantastic Four, X-Men, Superman, Spider-Man. The Marvel universe has gone nuts; we’re going to have a fricking Captain America movie if we’re not careful. Thor, too! We’re on our second Hulk movie.

He continued, And Iron Man — $300 million domestic box office on a second tier superhero! And not to demean Iron Man — my point is that we all know about superheroes now. I can ask my mother, ”Mom, when the Hulk isn’t the Hulk, who is he?” ”Bruce Banner. Why? What a weird question.” I could ask her, ”What happened to Bruce Wayne’s parents?” ”They were killed at an opera.” You’re getting to that saturation level where superhero movies, it’s hard for them to figure out what more to do.

Snyder laid it out back then and that too without hesitation. He admitted that while the MCU has done a stellar job pulling in audiences who might not know their Avengers from their X-Men, he predicted that eventually, the well would run dry. Fast forward to today, and it’s clear that his prediction was spot on.

Why Are People Tired of the MCU, and How Can It Get Out of the Slump?

Superhero fatigue has finally hit, causing a major downturn for the Marvel Cinematic Universe amid a genre slump marked by multiple flops and only a few blockbuster successes in recent years. Marvel Studios diluted its brand by pushing out numerous Disney+ series and continuing to release three movies annually, even after the epic conclusion of the Infinity Saga.

With an extensive library of Marvel content on Disney+ and the pandemic reducing theater attendance, audiences had less motivation to buy tickets for new MCU entries. Many weren’t ready to dive into a new saga just yet.

Despite this, Marvel’s streaming shows were successful if one sees the bigger picture. When compared to the broader landscape of drama films and streaming series, superhero content still fared relatively well. To combat this problem, Marvel did introduce some measures including Marvel Spotlight that won’t require any prior knowledge to die into the saga, there is still a lot of work left to be done.

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Well although nothing can be said for sure, 2025 might be the year we finally shake off superhero fatigue. While a flood of content often leads to a sea of mediocre films, the future does seem hopeful. The MCU does have some good projects slated in the years to come, that people are genuinely excited about only time will tell how everything will pan out.

All MCU movies and shows are streaming on Disney+.