Marvel vsDC Universe? Who produces the better titles? Who produces the better work? More important than all of that, who has the more appealing and better class of superheroes to the respective audiences that are inspired by each respective companies product. A question asked for decades by the many superhero fans who have fallen in love with the comic book industry. Now a survey was held, hosted by Experience 12, on which company had produced a better cinematic universe. According to the survey held at Comic-Con, of 1,020 fans, it was recorded thatMarvel Cinematic Universe(The MCU) was better than DC’s (DCEU) by an overwhelming 83% of answers. With the DCEU only having a merely 17%, leaving this debate with a definitive victor.
A lot of that is influenced by the great success that Marvel films have had over the past decade, from 2008’sIron Man, featuring the (then) rising star of Robert Downey Jr, to 2019’sSpider-Man: Far From Home. This was, until recently with the release ofBlack Widow, thelatest film installment in the Marvel franchise, chronologically, after the events of 2019’sAvengers: Endgame. This marked the longest gap between Marvel movies since the originalIron Man. This is also young actor, Tom Holland’s fifth time portraying Peter Parker. AKA, Spider-Man, since his last-minute debut inCaptain America: Civil War(in 2016).
The films produced by DC had won many battles against the films produced by Marvel during it’s run withSuperman, (1, 2 & 3) and variousBatmanfilms during the time Marvel was struggling to get off the ground with their work onDaredevil,Ghost Riderand evenSpider-Man 3managed to flop at the time. Christopher Nolan championed theBatmanfranchise with his work onThe Dark Knighttrilogy, but in the end, none of these films managed to connect to a bigger universe.
DespiteIron Man’s release in 2008, it wasn’t until 2012, thatThe Avengers(film) officially connected four (previous) independent films together into an entire movie, officially kicking off the cinematic universe for our beloved comic book heroes. In 2013 DC launched its first film of the DCEU,Man of Steel. It is a great film produced by director Zack Snyder that took Superman on a journey untold before by other films of the iconic hero from krypton. However, it failed to deliver to the fans of bothSuperman&Batmanwith its sequel film,Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice(2016).
At the time, much of the audience went in with expectations for flashier, more colorful superheroes like they experienced with (2012’s)The Avengers. Zack Snyder’s vision for the DCEU took a little time for the fans to adjust to, but it gained traction leading to the call for the directors cut ofThe Justice League, from the film release in 2017. Despite the mixed reaction toBatman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, and its follow-up film, theSuicide Squad(2016), thefranchise gained a lot of momentumwith Patty Jenkins 2017 film,Wonder Woman. A powerful female-driven character told just right.
Since the success ofWonder Woman, the DCEU expanded into questionable territory with Joss Whedon taking the reigns of the united heroes film,The Justice League, after Zack Snyder had to step back from the project.Aquamanlead the franchise into another successful wave, followed byShazamand evenWonder Woman’s sequel film,Wonder Woman 1984. Despite these successes, the DCEU hasn’t been the same since Zack Snyder left, leaving many fans to feel torn on the franchise. Some even question what the chronological order of the films is and what’s even next?
Now, both companies at one point are beloved for their well-written stories, and other times it’s cherished for the great artwork produced from scene to scene or cover to cover. Either way, I enjoy both directions as a fan. I believe that the DCEU will correct itself, but which universe do you think has produced a better lineup of films, and which do you think will produce the better lineup over the next ten years? Do you think we will see more of DC’s gritty style afterThe Batman,portrayed by Robert Pattinson and set to release in 2022. Will Marvel continue to make flashier, more colorful styles of film? All questions I intend to enjoy as the next batch of films come out. This news originates fromUNILAD.
