The Dark-age of Comics is Permanent

Suppose the Dark Age of comics, with its leather jacket redesigns, mullets, new “edgier” characters or reboots, became the standard in popular culture. Meaning, almost no one remembers Bruce Wayne as Batman, but they know Jean-Paul Valley (aka Azrael) is Batman in all his spikey armor glory. How does this effect pop culture? Would we still see a renewed interest in Superhero movies in the 2000s? Would comics still be considered for children or even more of a medium for man-children indulging in stories of sex, blood, and gore?
 
You're going to need to provide a definition, because at the moment this appears to be speculation.
 
The Dark age of comics is considered a time when the industry decided to do more adult stories, with themes that were far more cynical in tone (rape, drugs, emphasis on heroes who are psychologically damged). Heroes were far more “aggressive” in design, lots of black and shoulder pads covering one shoulder , and even more so in their morals, being far more willing to kill. Venom, the Spiderman villain, has a comic series where he is the hero, and Superman is dead. Peter Parker is retired, and the Scarlet Spider (who was a clone, but then not a clone, and…it’s complicated) is now New York City’s web head. Steve Rogers is no longer Captain America, but just “the Captain” and has ditched Red White and Blues for (shocker) Black.

For more info feel free to browse the trope page http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TheDarkAgeOfComicBooks
 
Given how poorly fans reacted to many of the events in the Dark age of comics, the writers and artist would be shooting themselves in the foot by continuing it.

Besides, writers will get tired of it, and begin a new phase.

If Things became "permanent", then we would have never reached the Dark Age, because we would still be stuck in the Silver, Bronze or Golden age.
 
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