We are living in a great and glorious time in pop culture (Kardashians, octuplets, and Snooki notwithstanding). Over the past ten years, superhero movies have really come into their own as a genre. While I have previously expressed my decidedly mixed feelings about CGI, I do acknowledge that it’s these advancements in technology that have allowed for them to exist at all, and for that I’m grateful. I mean last year, pigs flew and Hell froze over when the most “un-filmable” of superhero epics came to celluloid life with Watchmen (whether or not Billy Crudup and his Smurf penis, along with everything else, should’ve stayed un-filmed is a debate for another day).

And not only are they all possible, they are profitable. They get asses in the seats, and Hollywood knows it. With America in recession, and everyone just a few gallstones away from living in Hoovervilles, people are more discerning about what movies are worth spending the increasing ticket prices for. Super spectacles with larger-than-life action and mythic feats of heroism demand to be seen in the theater more so than the millionth clumsy-but-adorable-chick-finds-love-where-she-least-expects-it flick. Happy Valentine’s day, by the way.

But with a dearth of originality in the industry, 95% of superhero films are, by necessity, based on existing comic book characters. What do you do when you’ve already used up all the biggies? X-Men? Done (the “origin” movies don’t count, by virtue of the fact that I say so). Spider-Man? For all intents and purposes, done. Batman? Almost done. Superman? Done-ish. Wonder Woman? Apparently, even more un-filmable than Watchmen.

For one thing, you can team up your characters, as in the upcoming Avengers or Justice League projects (though a JLA film seems unlikely anytime soon). For another, studios can look to the likes of lesser-known B and C-list heroes like Green Lantern, or Ant-Man.

But Hollywood has found a better solution that will ensure their caviar and coke binges can continue for years to come. The idea is not to beat these dead horses, so much as resurrect them, to then kill and bludgeon them again and again, ad infinitum. The big buzzword right now for superheroes is the reboot. The Hulk got one. Batman got one. Two, if you consider the original Adam West film from 1966. It looks like Superman will also wind up with two, what with Superman Returns being unceremoniously swept under the rug. Spider-Man’s getting one. So is The Fantastic Four. And Daredevil. Some of these seem surprisingly soon after the fact, and I do joke about the apparent money-grubbing ulterior motives behind them, but I think reboots can be positive and even necessary.

For starters, it’s unrealistic and sad to imagine there would never be another installment of one’s favorite hero on film, no matter how fantastic or definitive a particular take might be. These characters are from an ongoing format that in and of itself allows for many different interpretations. The reboot is already a staple of comic book storytelling and has been for a long time. Why not afford film makers the same opportunities to put their own spin on a franchise? Consider James Bond, and how many iterations of him there have been.

Then there’s also practical reasons. Comic characters don’t age. Actors do. Tobey Maguire was already getting a little long in the tooth for Spidey. It just doesn’t make sense to have these iconic characters go gray, unless you’re doing a special story about them later in life, as Frank Miller does with Batman in The Dark Knight Returns. In order to be able to keep making their stories, it’ll be necessary to recast and reset the clock once in a while.

Quality also plays a factor in the decision to reboot, as well it should. I think we can all agree Daredevil and The Fantastic Four deserve better than the goofy messes we got. Though I’m not sure hiring the screenwriter from The Day The Earth Stood Still remake helps the horned one’s cause. I can even think of another character that could definitely benefit from a reboot, rather than the rumored plain-old sequel. I’m fixing my penance stare on you, Ghost Rider. Feel the pain you have caused and repent.

So let’s give thanks for the reboot and the opportunities it opens up. The new Spider-Man was just announced to be coming in 3D (I’m sure this has nothing at all to do with Avatar)! And the new Superman will be “godfathered” by revered Bat-reformist Christopher Nolan. No word on the number of “D’s” associated with this project.

But until this new wave of comic films hits our multiplexes, we must find a way to make do with the meager offerings of Kick Ass, Iron Man 2, Scott Pilgrim, Green Lantern, Captain America, and Thor. Such a shame.

Related posts on 30ninjas.com:

• It’s All Geek to Me: Spider-Man‘s Ultimate Reboot
• Justifying the Spider-Man Reboot
• Fantastic Four Reboot — Casting Rumors
• It’s All Geek To Me — Buffy the Vampire Slayer Reboot Makes Me All Rant-y and Not So Much With the Warner Brothers Love
• It’s All Geek To Me — Geek Smash Puny Casting Rumors!
• It’s All Geek To Me — Rumors, Denials, and Men of Steel and Bronze