“Just for the fans” can be a real kiss of death when talking
about any form of media, but movies especially. In the mainstream,
finding-those-who-share-your-fandom-has-never-been-easier landscape, there is a
lot to unpack around the idea of making products for an
already-established fanbase. It can range anywhere from ‘let’s keep our
customers happy’ to ‘what they say they want and what they actually want
aren’t the same thing’, and pretty much every point on that scale has its ugly
side.
But it needn’t always be a bad thing. Sometimes, it can be
as simple as showing gratitude for audiences that have kept up with your work
for years, even decades, and wanting to let them know that you see them.
Avengers: Endgame from last year is an excellent example of that in the more
positive sense, and while not really on the same wavelength, I’d argue that
this film would be another.
