Franchises Drive Modern Sci‑Fi and Superheroes

Franchises across genres drive audience engagement by enabling deeper world‑building and repeat viewership, visible in sci‑fi (e.g., the Kelvin Timeline Star Trek) and modern superhero cinema. Some series defy the “third movie” slump—horror entries like 28 Years Later add fresh ideas and emotional depth—while strong trilogies such as Deadpool sustain quality through consistent tone and character development. Despite Marvel and DC’s blockbuster dominance, many comic publishers—notably Image Comics—remain underrepresented on the big screen, though TV adaptations like Invincible demonstrate mainstream potential and characters such as Jackie Estacado (The Darkness) and Witchblade offer untapped cinematic possibilities. The concept of a shared live‑action superhero universe predates the MCU—CBS in the late 1970s attempted a linked Marvel TV slate with Spider‑Man and The Incredible Hulk—underscoring that successful franchises rely on thoughtful expansion, respect for source material, and storytelling consistency.