Director Destin Daniel Cretton on making Spider-Man grow up

The superhero business isn't what it used to be.

After 2008's Iron Man and the spawn of cinematic universes, it seemed as though nothing could stop the juggernaut of superhero blockbusters. 

As we marched into the 2010s, Marvel lore-expanders like Captain America: Civil War and Black Panther consistently made billions. Avengers: Endgame remains the second highest-grossing movie of all time, pulling in an eye-watering $US2.799 billion dollar box office when it was released in 2019.

Despite constantly fighting to get out of Marvel's cinematic shadow, DC's gloomier fare like The Dark Knight Rises and Joker gained their billion badge; even critically trashed editions like 2018's Aquaman splashed over the billion-dollar threshold.

But then at the turn of the decade, the world stopped for COVID. Even when cinemas were able to open their doors again, safe-bet sequels such as Black Panther: Wakanda Forever didn't live up to its predecessors, and adventures into more prestige output like Eternals and The Marvels crashed spectacularly. Star-stuffed vehicles like Fantastic Four and Thunderbolts (or The New Avengers, to give it the marketing-approved name) didn't quite reach intended impact.

Only two superhero movies have grossed over $US1 billion worldwide in the 2020s; 2023's R-rated Deadpool & Wolverine and 2021's Spider-Man: No Way Home.

So, no pressure for Destin Daniel Cretton, director of No Way Home follow up, Spider-Man: Brand New Day. The filmmaker isn't going in blind though; he was plucked by Marvel Studios in 2019 to direct Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings before sliding into TV with Wonder Man, a series he directs and co-created, which lead to an Emmy nomination for its lead Yahya Abdul-Mateen II.