Why do Marvel and DC’s biggest stories feel like they don’t matter anymore?

In this video essay, we break down “The Illusion of Change” – the storytelling trick that lets superhero comics look like they’re evolving while making sure nothing ever truly changes. We’ll show how modern Marvel and DC arcs hit big emotional climaxes, only to reset the status quo, erase consequences, and quietly train readers to stop caring.

Using Gustav Freytag’s Pyramid as a framework, we explore why real resolution requires permanent change – to the hero, the world, or both – and how comics have built a system that structurally forbids that. Instead of catharsis, readers get false resolution and retcons.

Watch the previous videos in this series:

🟢Episode 1: The Shared DNA -- https://youtu.be/lLQhJL5nshg

🟢Episode 2: The Broken Format -- https://youtu.be/eRaKvd_KIRU

🟢Episode 3: The Friction Engine -- https://youtu.be/gEkg6SXAl-8

🟢Episode 4: The Comic Shop Trap -- https://youtu.be/nQK2ktkc2ms

🟢Episode 5: The Illusion of Change - [YOU ARE HERE]

Grab your copy of The Resolution Cycle👉 https://amzn.to/3LlfAqM

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Keywords: #comicalopinions #comics #comicreview #comicbookreview #comicbooks #NCBD #Marvel #DCComics #Dynamite #ImageComics #ComicWriting #comicrecommendations #underratedcomics #fixingcomics #marvelcomics #dccomics #superheroComics #comicbookindustry #comicbookcriticism #storytelling #storystructure #freytagspyramid #illusionofchange #statusquoisgod #narrativearc #characterarcs #wrestlingstorytelling #romanreigns #bloodline #soapoperas #SORAS #mangaVsComics #mangastorytelling #superherofatigue #eventfatigue #retcons #comicbookreboots #narrativeanalysis #videoessay #youtubeessay #geekculture #popcultureanalysis

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