For years, hardcore fans have argued over one seemingly simple topic: which franchise is better, Marvel or DC? The answer is simple: it’s Marvel.
Marvel started in the late 1930s. The first Marvel superhero to become universally known was Captain America, who was first seen in Captain America Comics #1, published in March 1941, in the middle of World War II. Captain America remained as the most popular comic book character during the wartime period, and became a hero in pop culture. Sorry Superman, your time as a war hero will never come, even if you were here first.
Marvel began their cinematic mastery of bring comic book characters to life with the first film of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, “Iron Man”. That was then followed by The “Incredible Hulk” (2008), “Iron Man 2” (2010), “Thor” (2011), and “Captain America: The First Avenger” (2011). In 2012, Marvel merged the four properties to create the A”vengers” film series.
While DC did release films earlier than Marvel, they didn’t really fully enter the cinematic sphere until the release of “Batman Begins” in 2005.
Every installment created in the MCU has been a worldwide hit, where the only recent successes DC has seen was with “Wonder Woman” and the recent “Batman” films. And that doesn’t include Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, arguably one of the most bland, horrible superhero movies I’ve ever seen. It really does deserve that 27 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes. DC movies just tend to become forgettable, and it seems as though they aren’t really sure what kind of style they want, or essentially how to present themselves, making their releases a bit more out of tune with one another, while Marvel tends to stay more coherent and the cinematic style tends to stay in the same realm.
Marvel also has a way with creating characters in a way that DC doesn’t have. Marvel explores the depth of those characters way more than DC. In the DC comics and films, the characters seem to only be defined by their superpowers. Marvel characters inspire ordinary people to do extraordinary things, while DC characters just show off their powers without giving us anything to relate to. Wonder Woman isn’t really Diana of Themyscira, she’s just Wonder Woman. Not only that, but she’s essentially a carbon copy of Captain America (she didn’t make her first appearance in the DC universe until October of 1941 in All Star Comics #8, six months after Captain America Comics #1 hit the shelves).
This is the biggest reason that Marvel is better than DC. Marvel characters are more relatable, and we get to see and experience their personal lives. Marvel doesn’t center their characters or their focus on just their powers or their alter ego, but them as regular people, and not as just superheroes. Yes, we do see the story of Batman’s origins portrayed in Batman Begins, but that’s really all we ever see of Bruce Wayne and any kind of backstory, making him a less relatable and personable character.
Marvel also lets their heroes be the focus of the story. With the exception of Batman, the majority of any promotion or merchandising for DC characters are for villains, namely the Joker and Harley Quinn. As a comic franchise based on superheroes, shouldn’t you focus on your heroes, and not on your villians?
While both franchises have made interesting casting choices, Marvel still remains superior. Marvel casts actors to represent those characters as they were intended to, perfectly. Actors like Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, and Tom Holland bring those characters to life, and those roles have brought them into the spotlight as major A-list actors. Whoever decided to cast Ben Affleck as Batman really made a bold choice, to say the least. The same goes for Jared Leto as the Joker in Suicide Squad (2016).
Marvel really does climb miles above DC, and it seems pointless to continue this debate for so long since Marvel truly is far more superior, not only in comics, but in movies and merchandising as well.