For more than 15 years, Marvel Studios has been bringing some of the most iconic superheroes to life. The Marvel movie franchise — known as the Marvel Cinematic Universe — began in 2008 with the release of Iron Man, starring Robert Downey Jr. Since then, Marvel has become one of the most popular franchises in history, generating billions of dollars in revenue. The studio also shot superhero movies to the top of box office charts. Avengers: Endgame (2019), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), and The Avengers (2012), are three of the most successful films of all time.
Since 2008, Marvel movies have maintained their incredible storylines and jaw-dropping special effects, but one thing has changed. Each film is typically funnier than the one before it. Marvel films rely heavily on comedy, making them much more than just an average action movie. While fans love to laugh while watching, one actor thinks that Marvel has actually ruined comedy movies for everyone else.
Pitch Perfect star Adam Devine — who played Bumper in the first two movies, as well as his very own spinoff series — recently sat down for an interview on Theo Von’s This Past Weekend podcast. During his interview, Devine said that Marvel has killed the traditional comedy movie.
“You watch comedies nowadays and you’re like, this is not a f***ing comedy. Where are the jokes? Where are the bits? There’s still good [comedy] shows, but movie comedy…it’s hard. My theory: I think Marvel ruined it. I feel like superhero movies ruined comedies because you go to the theater and you expect to watch something that cost $200 million to make, and comedy movies aren’t that. So you’re like, ‘Why would I spend the same amount of money to go watch a little comedy in the theater if I can spend that and watch something that is worth $200 million?’ And they still make those movies kind of funny, like, ‘Oh my god, is that raccoon talking? This is hilarious!’ Which it is, but it’s not a real comedy.”
Devine pointed out that there used to be close to 50 comedies released in theaters every year. Since Marvel movies have become the go-to standard to follow, there are now less than a dozen straightforward comedies released nationwide every year. Devine stars in The Out-Laws, alongside Pierce Brosnan, Ellen Barkin, and Nina Dobrev, which is currently streaming on Netflix. He is also starring in The Righteous Gemstones on MAX.
Marvel is set to release one more feature-length film this year — The Marvels, starring Brie Larson, Iman Vellani, Teyonah Parris, and Samuel L. Jackson. Next year, Marvel is slated to release Deadpool 3, Captain America: Brave New World, and Thunderbolts. Even though release dates have been set, it is possible they could be changed due to the WGA and SAG strikes.