Meryl Streep Calls Out ‘Marvel-ization’ of Movies — Says It’s Taking Over

Meryl Streep is never one to hold back, and a comment she made during the press tour for ‘The Devil Wears Prada 2’ has set the internet ablaze. Appearing on the Hits Radio Breakfast Show alongside Anne Hathaway and Emily Blunt, the Oscar winner was asked about the softer side of her character Miranda Priestly in the new film, and used the opportunity to deliver a sharp observation about the state of modern cinema.

Streep argued that the dominance of superhero storytelling has led to less nuanced character work across the industry, saying that movies have become overly reliant on clear-cut heroes and villains.

Her point was not that superhero films are inherently bad, but that their influence has seeped into the broader storytelling landscape in a way that flattens complexity. She said she prefers stories where both protagonists and antagonists feel human and layered, with heroes who are flawed and villains who have their own strengths and motivations.

“I think we tend to Marvel-ize the movies now. We got the villains and we got the good guys, and it’s so boring,” she said,

The comments landed with particular resonance because they came in direct service of explaining why she finds Miranda Priestly worth returning to. Streep noted that what she loves about ‘The Devil Wears Prada 2’ is precisely that “it’s messier,” suggesting that moral ambiguity is what keeps a character compelling across two decades. It is a point Miranda herself might appreciate.

“What’s really interesting about life is that some of the heroes are flawed and some of the villains are human and interesting and have their own strengths,” she continued. “So that’s what I like about this [film]. It’s messier.”

‘The Devil Wears Prada 2’ opened in theaters on May 1, reuniting Streep with Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, and Stanley Tucci, with the sequel directed by David Frankel and written by Aline Brosh McKenna, the team behind the original. The film projects an opening weekend of $75 to $100 million domestically and made $40.5 million on its first day of release alone.

Critics have broadly praised the returning cast, with reviewers noting that Streep, Hathaway, Blunt, and Tucci are comic virtuosos who slip back into their roles with ease while finding new shades in their characters. Streep herself made headlines separately by revealing she doubled her salary on the sequel after initially turning down the studio’s first offer, having reasoned that she knew the film would be a hit and that the studio needed her.

Commentary online has been largely sympathetic to Streep’s broader point, with many noting that the good-versus-evil framework works well within superhero films specifically but becomes limiting when other genres try to replicate it for blockbuster appeal. The conversation she has sparked is one the industry has been circling for years, and it seems fitting that it took Miranda Priestly of all people to finally say it plainly.

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