Marvel vs. DC: a struggle beyond the big screen

Beyond printed comics, the most important superheroes’ stories have also fought for the love of their fans in the cinema. Which one do you like the most?

In the twentieth century, pop culture emerged and with it the comics, and Marvel, company of the late Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, is a power of this trend. With characters such as Hulk, Spider-Man, Iron Man, Captain America, and all of them in The Avengers, this entertainment company has been a source of fun for several generations.

Leer en español: ¿Marvel o DC? Una lucha más allá de la gran pantalla

However, as is public knowledge, Marvel is not the only franchise of great renown. In the United States and in the rest of the world, DC Comics, creator of characters such as Superman, Batman or Flash, also grew up.

The competition between these companies, according to the newspaper La Nación, was born in the late 30s and early 40s, (when Marvel was known as Timely Comics) with stories on paper. Today, said 'fight' has moved to theaters, where fans of each of the franchises have perpetuated a competition of tastes.

Which has been better?

Both for the fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), and for those of the Extended Universe of DC (DCEU), the films represent an almost magical transition from paper to the big screen. Now, the numbers may show some reflection of superiority on the part of the 'Spider-Man' franchise.

Over the past ten years, Marvel Comics has positioned itself in the minds of all viewers, fans or not, with its cinematic universe. Since the premiere of Iron Man, in 2008 (and with 20 films), the MCU has raised more than 17 billion dollars in theaters around the world, reported Depor.com. This figure positions it as the most watched saga in history over other epics such as Harry Potter and Star Wars, according to the specialized site The Couch.

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On the other hand, and as the legendary nemesis of Marvel, DC Comics also bet on the conjunctural change that comes to the cinematography.

Although in the 60's, 70's, and 80's, characters like Batman by the hand of Adam West and Superman, starring Christopher Reeve, came to movies and television, it is not until the beginning of the new millennium that, in 1998, a cinematographic universe started.

'Superman Lives' was the first film with which it was intended to unite DC characters and stories, because, according to the site Superman Home Page, the participation of Michael Keaton (Batman) was budgeted in it, making this a saga more than desired by the fans of this franchise.

Although the idea arose in the bowels of DC ten years before Marvel premiered Ironman, the problems with the recordings, cancellations of the same and little collection at the box office, made the process of narrative union between the different comics postponed until 2013, when Man of Steel was premiered.

This new installment of Superman, which came with small scenes or cameos that made reference to other DC heroes, was the beginning of a new world of ideas. At first the film was not shown as the beginning of the extended Universe of DC, but, thanks to the box office raised by the movie (668 million dollars, according to The Hollywood Reporter) it was decided that this was the cornerstone for the union of others heroes, explained The Guardian.

In numbers, the DCEU, considering that it was born five years after the MCU, has something in its favor, and that is, according to the Smash portal, with five films it has raised a little more than 1,600 million dollars, more than the almost 1400 million that Marvel had with its first five releases. Even so, Smash clarifies that in this issue we must take IGNORE INTO account the value of the dollar in 2008 compared to 2013, as well as the price of tickets, temporary factors that could say much more.

In terms of criticism, according to Rotten Tomatoes (one of the most important film critics in the world), Marvel surpasses DC: the film with the best ranking of the MCU (Black Panther with 97% acceptance), exceeds by four points that of the DCEU (Wonder Woman with 93%). Regarding the general scope, MCU has an average of 84%, while the DCEU does not exceed 48%. A Marvel triumph over DC.

However, these are only statistical data that seek to rank the entertainment universe. For "tastes the colors" and in that both franchises have much to offer. In December, DC has prepared the premiere of what would be its sixth film: Aquaman. For its part, in 2019, Marvel will present Avengers 4, perhaps the last one in which Stan Lee had the option to participate.

LatinAmerican Post | Christopher Ramírez
Translated from “¿Marvel o DC? Una lucha más allá de la gran pantalla”

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