The Secret Reasons Superhero Movies Need So Much CGI

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Summary

The overuse of CGI in superhero movies has faced criticism for creating less realistic and immersive environments and props.
Plot leaks during on-location shoots have prompted superhero movies to rely on digital effects and sound stages to prevent leaks.
Even CGI-heavy superhero movies are not safe from plot leaks, as demonstrated by films like The Flash and Spider-Man: No Way Home.

A recent insight into Deadpool 3 from director Shawn Levy may have revealed a hidden reason why superhero movies use an abundance of CGI. In recent years, specifically 2023 with the likes of The Flash and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quanutmania, the overuse of visual effects in superhero movies has faced plenty of criticism. This criticism has extended to superhero TV shows too, with Marvel Studios' Secret Invasion being criticized for a CGI-heavy fight scene to culminate what was supposed to be a grounded espionage-based thriller.
While superhero movies naturally need to utilize CGI in a bigger quantity than smaller, more realistic films, oftentimes superhero productions are condemned for using visual effects where it is not necessary. This has extended to the usage of CGI to create entirely digital environments and props rather than shooting on location and building sets, which has caused some superhero projects of late to lose more realism and thus immersion. That said, Deadpool 3 director Shawn Levy recently participated in an interview with Deadline in which he offered some insight into the film, potentially explaining a hidden reason why superhero movies rely heavily on CGI environments.
Your browser does not support the video tag. Deadpool 3's Major Plot Leaks Prove Why Superhero Movies Use So Much CGI

During the interview with Deadline, Levy states "We went to great lengths to not shoot it [Deadpool 3] on sound stages with digital environments - the internet has proven that by revealing pictures of our shoot, thank you internet!" While Levy does not dwell too much on it and goes on to promote Deadpool 3's Wolverine-Deadpool team-up, the director may have implied that plot leaks could be a secret motive for superhero movies using digital effects regarding sets and environments. As proven by the many plot leaks taken from the on-location shoots of Deadpool 3, utilizing real sets gives more opportunity for leakers to get an insight into big productions.
As such, superhero movies and the ever-increasing secrecy of most big franchises could utilize sound stages to prevent these leaks. In crafting hidden sound stages that are much harder to access and creating environments and sets with CGI in post-production, any potential leaks will likely have a much smaller chance of happening, leading to a decrease in people leaking something significant. This tactic though, has proven to come with its own drawbacks from an overuse of CGI to films that feel less realistic and tangible as a result of their digital environments.
Why Even CGI-Heavy Superhero Movies Aren't Safe From Movie Leaks

While much less common, history has proven that even CGI-heavy superhero productions are not safe from leaks. Given the constant increase of people responsible for superhero films that comes with an increase in budget and scope - from cast and crew to post-production workers and producers - it is difficult to keep certain aspects of stories secret. One recent superhero film that has seen this issue was 2023's The Flash, with the film's director Andy Muschietti openly revealing Nicolas Cage's Superman cameo before the film had even been released.
Another recent, high-budget movie that suffered from plot leaks was Marvel Studios' Spider-Man: No Way Home. It was arguably one of the worst-kept secrets in Hollywood that Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield would reprise their roles as Spider-Man alongside Tom Holland due to the sheer size of the production. For instance, after Jamie Foxx's return was announced for the film, the actor posted a fan-made image of the three Spideys together which began the onslaught of leaks the film faced. While Deadpool 3 may prove that using less CGI results in more leaks, there have been several instances of the opposite also being true.
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