Why is Star Wars fatigue an issue, but Marvel fatigue is not?

ANAHEIM ,CA – JULY 14: In this handout photo provided by Disney Parks, actor Mark Hamill visits Galaxy’s Edge, the new Star Wars-themed land, at Disney Parks on July 14, 2017 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Joshua Sudock/Disneyland Resort via Getty Images)

Even Mark Hamill gets tired of Star Wars, but why is no one tired of Marvel?

In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Mark Hamill – Luke Skywalker himself – admitted that Star Wars fatigue is real and he has felt it first hand. But why is this?

A wealth of Star Wars fans have complained about the oversaturation of the series, but how come this isn’t a complaint with the Marvel Universe? After 22 films, and with more planned for the near future, you would think that fans would grow tired of the franchise, but that is not the case.

So what makes Star Wars different from Marvel? Why do fans of these respective franchises have such different tolerance towards the volume of films they can handle? Let’s talk about it.

WASHINGTON, DC – JUNE 16: Dozens of comic book retailers fill the exhibitor and artist alley space during the first day of Awesome Con at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center June 16, 2017 in Washington, DC. Thousands of fans of popular culture, fantasy and science fiction will gather for the three-day convention that includes comic books, collectibles, toys, games, original art, cosplay and Marvel Comics legend Stan Lee. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

The Source Material

One major contributing factor to Marvel’s long-term success is the decades of source material behind each movie. There are millions of storylines involving the likes of Captain America and The Avengers, so when these comic books actually get turned into live-action films, fans are foaming at the mouth to see if the story they read as a kid gets played out of the big screen.

Star Wars, however, does not have such a rich history. All of the material found in these films were made up for that project, or based off of an extended universe story, which all stems from the three original movies made in the 1970’s. The same story, played out with roughly the same characters, all stemming from three movies. After a while, there is only so much to draw on.

Even though Marvel has films firmly into the double digits, we are just now getting to see the likes of Black Panther and Captain Marvel, as well as the conclusion of the Infinity Gauntlet storyline, and that is exciting. In Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, we are seeing the return of Emperor Palpatine and Lando Calrissian, which preys on the nostalgia fans experience from seeing them in the original movies. All in all, there is only so much you can expect to expand on three original movies, and it seems that the success of Star Wars is its on downfall.