Steven Spielberg compared superhero movies to the Western (and that genre’s demise).

He’s not wrong.

Of course, right now the superhero movie is alive and thriving.

Im only saying that these cycles have a finite time in popular culture.

And quite honestly, Steven Spielberg is right.

This isnt to say that the superhero movie is showing any signs of immediate danger or slowing down.

But this is not why the prescient analogy should be made.

While not quite a one-to-one comparison, the Western and superhero movies share more commonalities than they do differences.

That is not to say that Westerns were simplistic; the best ones never were.

Its a morally black-and-white fantasia that would inform adult storytelling both in film and on the page.

Its very exciting when that happens.

These are words that Clint Eastwood shared with Martin Scorsese for a 1995 documentary on American cinema.

As mentioned, Westerns have endured in the American imagination for over a hundred years.

It is the promise of infinite possibilities and self-realization.

To be sure, this is a fantasy, but not one like typical Saturday matinees.

John Wayne is the Ringo Kid, a fugitive who is running from the law.

After killing the Plummer gang, the U.S. Hes the hero that the town deserves, but not the one it needs right now.

Then again, that flick dropped in a year when Americas entrance into World War II appeared inevitable.

The Western was a mythical, psychic expression of every American thought in mainstream conversation.

InHigh Noon, Gary Cooper is a U.S.

Marshal that is told men who want to kill him are coming to town.

Its a darker film than most Westerns with nary an action scene until the climax.

Foreman had to flee to England before the pictures release to find work.

But even Waynes conservative politics could change with the times.

It is the kind of gnawing ambiguity that both helped Westerns reach new heights and ultimately fade away.

In the end, the Western has proven more flexible than superhero movies have to date.

Yet, they ended.

The Baby Boomers grew up on just as many Westerns as their parents.

It was their parents entertainment.

Corral and get away with it, all while building a more perfect society.

Does this mean the superhero movie will also fade away one day?Yes.

Even so, the Western has never fully left us.

This nostalgia is pulsating through Tarantinos next Spaghetti Western-meets-Stagecoach,The Hateful Eight.

It also informsThe Revenant, a new Western fromBirdmandirector Alejandro G. Inarritu.

Both are due out on Christmas.

So, superhero fans need to stop clenching their fists in anguish at Steven Spielberg for stating the obvious.

There will likely always be superhero movies now.

Just be prepared for the day when you will not have eight coming out in a year.

That might actually be a blessing.

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This article was first published on Sept. 15, 2015.