Meryl Streep just aimed at one of Hollywood’s biggest habits, arguing that the “Marvel-izing” of movies has made the medium less exciting and far less human.

The comment, tied to coverage around The Devil Wears Prada 2, lands in a debate that has simmered for years: what happens to mainstream filmmaking when superhero franchises dominate the box office and studio calendars. Streep’s criticism cuts to character, not spectacle. Reports indicate she sees a marketplace that rewards scale and repetition while leaving less space for the layered, unpredictable people who once drove major studio films.

“Marvel-izing” has made movies “so boring,” Streep said, pointing to a decline in interesting characters.

That complaint resonates because it reaches beyond capes and costumes. For many viewers, the real issue is not whether superhero films succeed, but whether their success crowds out other kinds of stories. Sources suggest Streep’s point centers on the narrowing of opportunity for mid-budget dramas, adult comedies, and star-driven character pieces — the very films that built generations of moviegoing before franchises took over so much attention.

Key Facts

  • Meryl Streep criticized the “Marvel-izing” of movies.
  • She said the trend has made films “so boring.”
  • Her main concern centers on the loss of more interesting characters.
  • The comments surfaced in coverage connected to The Devil Wears Prada 2.

Streep’s remarks also matter because they come from an actor whose career stands as a case for range. She built her reputation on specificity, transformation, and characters who never felt engineered for a cinematic universe. When a performer with that history warns that the industry now favors formula over depth, the criticism carries weight even for people who still enjoy superhero movies. It frames the conversation less as nostalgia and more as a question about what Hollywood now values.

What happens next will likely play out not in speeches but in studio slates. If audiences keep rewarding franchise certainty, executives will keep betting on it. But if comments like Streep’s sharpen demand for riskier, character-first filmmaking, the industry may face pressure to broaden its ambitions. That matters because the fight over “Marvel-izing” is really a fight over what movies can still be.