Alan Ritchson Thinks Audiences Are Getting Tired of “Marvel-Type Movies”
Alan Ritchson has been making the rounds promoting his new action movie War Machine, which recently landed on Netflix. While the film has been earning generally positive reactions, the actor also took the opportunity to share an interesting perspective on the current state of blockbuster filmmaking, particularly when it comes to superhero-style storytelling.
Ritchson believes audiences might be growing tired of what he calls “Marvel-type movies,” and his reasoning centers on one key issue: protagonists who feel almost impossible to defeat.
War Machine skipped a theatrical release and debuted directly on Netflix, which means it risks disappearing into the massive sea of streaming content. Even so, the movie represents a type of story Ritchson says he’s eager to explore more often, one where the hero isn’t untouchable.
While talking about the direction of modern tentpole movies, Ritchson explained:
"We’re living through a period of cinema, especially with the Marvelization of a lot of theatrical tentpole movies in which the protagonists are almost invincible, we’ve reduced the stakes to something wholly unwatchable. There’s no secret that people are sort of over watching Marvel-type movies."
Rather than focusing on unstoppable heroes, Ritchson says the goal with War Machine was to create a character audiences could actually relate to. Someone who struggles, bleeds, and barely survives the chaos unfolding around them.
"Our goal is to create a protagonist who is hanging on by a thread. Can we drag somebody to the brink of death and shoot it in a way that feels real and visceral so that people can actually relate to it on a human level? People are suffering out there. Life is hard, man. By crossing the finish line at the end of the movie, we remind ourselves that we can get through another day."
For Ritchson, the emotional hook of the film isn’t just the action. It’s the human struggle at the center of it.
"As fun as this movie is, there’s something deeply human that we can connect to. If 81 can get through that and get across the finish line, maybe I can too in my own life."
Of course, the conversation gets a little more interesting when you consider that Ritchson has openly expressed interest in joining the superhero world himself. The actor has repeatedly said he’d love to play Batman in The Brave and the Bold, part of the new DCU being developed by James Gunn and Peter Safran.
Ritchson previously revealed that while discussions have happened with Gunn, the Dark Knight role will not be in the cards, but there’s still other characters he could play in the DC universe.
"Well, it’s not rumor that James Gunn is a fan. He said it himself. And am I a fan of James Gunn? Absolutely. I don’t want to mislead people. Words have been exchanged about Batman. But I strongly don’t think that Batman is in my future. I do think there is something in my future with DC. And I would like that to remain true."
On one hand, Ritchson questions the appeal of invincible blockbuster heroes. On the other, he’s clearly interested in stepping into the world of capes and masks. That might simply mean he’s looking for something different within the genre. A character who feels vulnerable, grounded, and more human.
Whether that ends up happening in the DCU or somewhere else remains to be seen. For now, Ritchson’s focus is on War Machine, and the type of action storytelling that reminds audiences a hero doesn’t have to be unstoppable to be interesting.