2022 Was the Year Franchises Fell Off Their Pedestals

From start to finish , 2022 felt like a eldritch year , one where the stableness of about everything we ’ve take for granted was greatly essay in some form or fashion . Southwest Airlinescurrently being in the middle of a monumental travel incubus feels like a pretty pertinent comparison ; everyone ’s eitherconfused or pissed off(or , well , both ) , and there ’s a world-wide sense of feel lost as we all assay to process what went down this twelvemonth . That collective desire we all have for the year to cease is more out of enfeeblement than excitement about what 2023 can bring .

For the entertainment industry , affair have been particularly eventful , mainly during the last after part of the year . Between endless show gettingcancelled , amalgamation , and subsequent layoff , there was enough travel on to fill a three - time of year prestigiousness limited serial . And in their own fashion , each of these theme were connect to enfranchisement : whether it was theattempted beginnings(orconfirmed end of ) sure blockbuster tentpoles , or discourse about howspecific workscan work in the machinery of their mothership series , we ’ve all had enfranchisement on the genius . We have n’t just run out eternal digital ink on what we want fromcertain franchisesgoing forrader — we’ve also endlessly inquire if the people involvedknow what they ’re doingwith said property , and what iteven meansfor a franchise to be a franchise in the first shoes . seek as you might , you could n’t really get away from the talk of franchises , series , sagas , and the similar .

perhaps that was inevitable ; after 2020 get a line much of the industry kneecap because of the pandemic , 2021 was largely about studios playing volaille with release engagement in lawsuit there was another flare - up of infections that lead in production delay or consultation waiting for a film to tally VOD . If 2021 ’s Spider - Man : No mode Home was a flabby dance step back into franchise water , then 2022 was more like cannonballing into the pool from the high diving instrument panel : Disney came in swinging withplenty of Marveland Star Wars , but also Avatar and some surprisingly self-coloured returns of older serial publication viaPreyandWillow . the great unwashed who are franchises unto themselves , such as Tom Cruise and Jordan Peele , reminded interview why they ’re so beloved severally viaTop Gun : Maverickand Nope . newfangled installment of Universal’sShrekandDespicable Mefranchises became high wage earner , and peradventure even decisive acclaim . Mobile Suit Gundam brought in a whole new consultation thanks to The Witch from Mercury , and serial likeRise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja TurtlesandThe Owl Housegot ( or will soon be getting ) some triumphant last hurrahs .

Image: Disney/Lucasfilm

But it was n’t all temperateness and rainbows , was it ? Beyond the mussy way that studioshandledsome franchises or how sure installation were at bestmixedorstraight up unsound , audiences lost more faith in the tentpoles and trade name that have become a big part of our lives ( and in some instances , hoi polloi ’s whole identity ) . There was plenty discussion throughout the year of the MCU’sPhase Fourlargely feeling so rudderless , or howAndorfails in the eyes of some by not feeling like other Star Wars series such as The Mandalorian . Warner Bros. Discovery go on activelysetting itself ablaze , while still managing to make folks opine about the viability of DC and acertain magical propertygoing forward into the raw year .

Sometimes that shattered faith was fetch upon by the quality of a motion picture or TV show ; other times , it was because of the multitude involved . Recall howDwayne Johnsontried very hard to let masses have sex he was n’t upset about Black Adam ’s commercial-grade public presentation and how his effortsultimately blew upin his boldness . Think aboutHenry Cavill — he does n’t have the cultural stash of Johnson , but you ca n’t deny that The Witcher made him a more likeable actor in the eyes of many . Whatever the heck find over at Netflix with his sudden exit from that show , it ’s quite clear that something is go on there that ’s waiting to be uncovered . And the recent button of theBlood Origin miniseriesisn’t entirely impregnate religious belief at the phantasy serial publication ’ future prospects without him . Cavill , meanwhile , willultimately be okay , but that abbreviated stop where it seemed like he ’d be Superman againuntil he wasn’tdidn’t exactly instill confidence in his life history choices .

Outside of movies and boob tube , a similar shift was happening in the video recording secret plan space . For some series , likeSilent HillandCyberpunk 2077 , fan had their faith renewed , but others wound up having their longtime flaw highlighted . Pokémon Scarlet and Violet and Pokémon Legends : Arceus had longtime fansat oddsover what the franchise could or should be going forrader and who ’s at defect for Scarlet & Violet ’s launch number . Square Enix ’s nextmainlineFinal Fantasyinstallment caught flame when its director sacrifice a pretty terrible reaction to the game ’s want of diversity , which served as a monitor that just because a dealership is a blockbuster phenomenon , that does n’t mean it ’s for everyone . game are usually off in their own little world , but when they cross with the heavy entertainment landscape painting , you see how the medium is in a interchangeable odd state as developers are getting acquired ( which sentplayers into business concern ) or adjudicate to win back favor with their fanbases afterbad PR .

Image: Marvel Studios

Image: Marvel Studios

The year 2023 is search like yetanother bragging onefor franchises thanks to Spider - Man : Into the Spider - Verse , whichever DC moviesWarner Bros. decides to release , and who knows what else . But will it be as tumultuous a twelvemonth as 2022 ? I ’m honestly go for that ’s not the case . Even as I ’ve enjoy and value wholly new experiences from the year likeRRRand Barbarian , I do like to recoil back with a reliable series and get it take me on a journey . That stability is well-situated to bemock , and also arduous to split off from . Sometimes you just want what you know has a generally uniform yield . But this year was pretty denotative in showing that the franchises themselves can no longer coast on what they ’ve reliably provided for years on end . They also have to be willing toshake thing upor even just ease off the throttle so as to rent new stewards take the reign for a number and permit their particular talents smooth .

For better or worse , every foreseeable year is just fate to have franchise take up most of the O in the way . Here ’s hoping that either next year or in the years to do , the cracks in the armor do n’t show as badly as they did in 2022 .

Want more io9 news ? condition out when to expect the latestMarvel , Star Wars , andStar Trekreleases , what ’s next for theDC Universe on cinema and telly , and everything you need to know about the succeeding ofDoctor Who .

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet may be a big seller, but it’s also torn Nintendo’s fanbase apart.