The Deadpool Effect: Should Superheroes Be Funnier?

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice drew plenty of criticism from professional reviewers, but the complaints of one well-known comic-book fan put the spotlight on one of the film's biggest alleged shortcomings: its lack of humor. Among filmmaker Kevin Smith's criticisms of Batman v Superman was that there was "nothing funny going on in that world whatsoever" and that the somber tone robbed the film of "heart."

Contemporary superhero movie fans do seem to love to laugh. Recent hits such as Guardians of the Galaxy and Deadpool have refused to take themselves seriously, and The Avengers and other films from the Marvel Cinematic Universe rely heavily on wisecracking characters and the occasional sight gag.

But is Smith right that a comic-book movie has to be funny to capture the imagination of audiences? It's worth noting that two of the top ten most successful superhero movies of all time, The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises, are virtually without humor, and their moody tone was arguably a key to their success. It's possible that staying true to certain comic-book characters - something that Smith claims is essential for a superhero film to do - might require playing things straight. Neither Batman nor Superman, after all, is historically known for his ironic or irreverent sense of humor.

Smith's comments, though, suggest that some filmmakers think they've discovered the secret to superhero success, and that's likely to be reflected in the plethora of upcoming comic-book movies. Given the success of funny superheroes - and, in the case of Deadpool, profanely funny ones - we're probably going to see a lot more costume-clad comedians as studios strive to duplicate the success of past hits.