In 2020, superhero movies were far from a box office hero.

Granted, in a pandemic, not much could be counted on to save the day. Still, all three comic book adaptations that debuted that year — Warner Bros. and New Line’s “Birds of Prey” before the pandemic, and 20th Century’s “The New Mutants” and Warner Bros.’ “Wonder Woman 1984” in the middle of the pandemic — 2021Sneakers ,brought in grosses that paled in comparison to even middling superhero films of the previous decade. Without any historical precedent during an industry-crushing shutdown, it’s impossible to know if superhero fatigue played a role in the performance of these movies. But that uncertainty, coupled with the deep investment by Disney, Warner Bros. and Sony in theatrical superhero features for at least the next five years, made the debut of Marvel’s “Black Widow” that much more of a crucial bellwether for the overall financial health of the genre.