For the past two decades, superhero cinema has been shaped by the rise of gritty reboots. The Dark Knight earned praise for its sophisticated action and grounded tone, contrasting with the cartoonish Batman of the 1990s. Five years later, Man of Steel faced criticism for introducing grit where it didn’t belong. Since then, superhero fans have been trapped in a circular argument about which adaptations should or shouldn’t be “dark,” overlapping with debates over what qualifies as adult storytelling.
