I was going to write something about how Westerns had more time to develop and that The Searchers was the peak of the second wave, but we're currently in the second wave of popularity for superhero movies and it does seem unlikely that there will be anything new of great artistic ambition, given that the MCU more or less has recovered all their old properties. DC might be more experimental given the failure of their cinematic universe, but they're still lacking in artistic merit outside of bright spots like The Dark Knight, even if there are entertaining diversions like Shazam and The Suicide Squad.

TV probably is where art will be for the superhero genre, just like other genres. Forgot to mention that Watchmen is another example of artistic ambition for superhero shows.

There is great art within the superhero genre outside of MCU and DC, but it might be unfair them to compare to John Ford, given that The Searchers is widely considered one of the greatest movies of all time.

Logan is a good exploration of failure and redemption and Legion has some of the most innovative storytelling in recent years.

New wife