Paul Dano was an unexpected choice of actor to play The Riddler in 2022's The Batman, but proved himself more than capable of putting a creepy new spin on the villain. This version ditched the colourful green suit and was instead portrayed as a ruthless and unhinged serial killer.
Talking to The Independent to promote his role in Netflix's Spaceman, Dano was asked to share his thoughts on perceived "superhero fatigue" in the wake of movies like The Flash, The Marvels, and Madame Web underperforming at the box office.
"It’s an interesting moment where everybody has to go like, 'OK - what now?' Hopefully from that, somebody either breathes new life into [comic book movies], or something else blossoms which is not superheroes," the actor said. "I’m sure there will still be some good ones yet to come, but I think it’s kind of a welcome moment."
"It’s a larger thing, too. As soon as the word 'content' came into what we do - meaning making movies or TV - it meant quantity over quality, which I think was a big misstep. And I certainly don’t need that as a viewer or as an artist."
Dano has summed up the situation perfectly as that's exactly the issue Marvel Studios has faced. Sony Pictures and Warner Bros. making disappointing superhero movies has become the norm in recent years, but the MCU's struggles began as soon as Kevin Feige was tasked with developing all those Disney+ TV shows.
As for why he believes The Batman found critical and commercial success, Dano added, "There are enough comic book movies where you just know what you’re gonna get. Reading the script for The Batman, you knew it was a real film. Every sentence...that’s just [writer/director] Matt Reeves."
Marvel Studios has gone back to the drawing board with the MCU after a rocky few years, while DC Studios plans to relaunch the DC Universe beginning with Creature Commandos and SUPERMAN.
As for Sony, Madame Web bombed, and next up are Kraven the Hunter and Venom 3.
Talking to us in 2022, Dano said this about what drew him to the role of The Riddler. "Matt laid out a beautiful script, but a great challenge as well. The first conversation he and I had were about hero and villain and the two sides of trauma. I think that was really the seed from which everything else grew."
"You can’t just jump to the villain part of the madness. Taking it from there and slowly building his past to page one and how that gets you there and who he was without the mask and what the mask allows him to be."
The Batman II is currently scheduled to be released on October 3, 2025.