This year alone saw the superhero movie genre filled with titles like Deadpool, Batman v Superman, Captain America: Civil War, X-Men: Apocalypse, and Suicide Squad — and we’re not even done as Doctor Strange is coming out this November. The years ahead will be even more saturated as Disney’s Marvel Studios has three films scheduled per year. HBO’s Last Week Tonight host John Oliver, for one, is fatigued, which is why he offered this takedown of superhero movies, while offering Hollywood an alternative to your typical fanboy fanfare.

last-week-tonight-john-oliver-image-1
Image via HBO

“I’m here on the Internet to do the most Internet thing imaginable, and that is complain about superhero movies,” Oliver said in a Web exclusive from his show. He then proceeded to call Deadpool “Mean Spider-Man,” BvS “Sadman vs. Super-Sadman,” and Suicide Squad “The Insane Clown Posse Takes Manhattan.” He also asserted that “some audience members are getting a little fatigued at seeing the same characters over and over again.”


What’s Oliver’s solution? Johnny Strong, a character he created in 5th Grade. Watch the video below:

By day, the character is a mild-mannered 5th grader named John Olivier (“no relation”), but he transforms into “the unconventionally handsome,” “kick-ass hero with a bad attitude” who has “seen a boob and knows what the F word is.”

His first adventure was battling a monster that kept sneaking into his room at night, but that his parents were convinced was just the cat. Spoiler alert: It was just the cat, and the second issue took him to the “Land of the ‘Lost’ Posters.”

There is some truth to Oliver’s comedic ramblings: There are a helluva lot of superhero movies. But are we fatigued? If you look at the box office, no way. These films — even ones eviscerated by critics — are making money and there’s no signs of slowing down. At this rate, there won’t be any heroes left to adapt, so maybe Hollywood will answer Oliver’s call.

john-oliver-last-week-tonight-journalism
Image via HBO
deadpool-colossus
Image via 20th Century Fox

suicide-squad-2-will-smith-deadshot-margot-robbie-harley-quinn
Clay Enos/ & © DC Comics Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures