Random Topic Generator: MARVEL Vs DC

Last year, I’ve unintentionally gave the allusion that I was a MARVEL fan boy. Possibly due to the way I was praising MARVEL, but criticising DC. I have tried to balance the scales by writing a few posts highlighting what I like about DC, but it didn’t help much because of the way I wrote some of the MARVEL articles. This article is my way to officially stabilise things once and for all. I do enjoy both companies a lot more than I’ve said.

I would like to point out before continuing that this article isn’t my attempt to cement which company is better than the other on a global scale, instead on a personal level. I will be pointing out what I like from both companies and how they are better than the latter, or equal to.

I want to say first is that I don’t read the comics. My main reason is because the incredible amount of storylines, each containing a complex amount of continuity. It’s becoming increasingly difficult to jump into a character’s comic book because it’s hard to fully understand everything that’s going on. I can come away with plenty of questions – some will be answered in future issues, but the majority have already been answered in previous issues, and it can take a while before I’ve gotten all the information to catch up with what’s happening in that specific issue I’m reading.

A couple of years ago, DC rebooted their entire catalogue of comics. They stopped everything and restarted at issue no. 1. The New 52 looked intriguing. Finally, I was able to enter the world of comic books… but I didn’t. When DC relaunched and released their first issue, I was nearing the end of college, and so I was fully concentrating on passing tests than comic books, and before I knew it, a lot of time went by and I found myself back at square one. Whilst DC had made it a lot easier to jump than before, I still had to search around for issue number 1 because it was now a few issues in, therefore I would have entered halfway through a particular storyline. I continued to stay clear of comic books and keep my attention on the movies and TV shows. But that doesn’t mean I haven’t dismissed everything. The movies and TV shows do include a vast amount of easter eggs relating to various events and/or characters in the comics. If I were to read them, I would have gotten them, but since I don’t, they went straight over my head.

To have a better experience when watching the films and TV shows, I searched around and found a couple YouTube channels focusing on explaining all the easter eggs throughout a film or an individual episode. I have enjoyed all the films and TV shows a lot more afterwards, so if I happen to watch it again, it would be as if I was watching it for the first time, because I would be seeing so much more than I had done before.

When it comes to films and TV shows, I have frequently stated that my personal preference is that MARVEL does better films whereas DC does better TV shows. MARVEL has their cinematic universe on the big screen, and DC has their universe on the small screen, but the size of the screens doesn’t matter. They are extremely and continuing to be successful.

DC’s TV shows include, Arrow, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, and Supergirl. The creators only intended Arrow to be on its own, with no superpowers. But things didn’t go according to plan, and for the better. From Arrow came the entire Arrowverse. Four shows with their own storylines but occasionally crossing over with each other for some of the best TV experiences I’ve ever seen. Last year’s four-night crossover between all four shows looked to be a miracle. Being on the CW, their budgets aren’t as big as some of the larger networks. As their shows have increased in success, more money is available, but they still have to be cautious with what they do with it. That didn’t stop them from ramping things to the max. How they pulled it off without cracking under pressure was stunning. Arrow’s season 5 finale looks to be better than anything they’ve ever done before. The Flash’s season 3 finale looks to be a mind-bender, and therefore thoroughly enjoyable. Supergirl’s season 2 finale looks to be above average because I think they are still finding their feet slightly, but I’m confident season 3 will be better than the previous 2 season. Legends of Tomorrow has already had its season 2 finale, but the cliffhanger was unexpected and I cannot wait for the next season to see how they would resolve it.

MARVEL’s films have been dominating the big screen since 2008. Iron Man pathed the way for a gigantic “experiment”. With hype already building for Avengers Infinity War that’s not coming out next year, it is to be a monumental achievement if they can pull that off. With so many characters slated to star, with it also being a conclusion to an overarching storyline throughout the series with Thanos coming to Earth in attempt to take the Infinity Stones and conquer Earth and the Universe, the nerd in me wants to time travel to the future right now.

DC’s films on the other hand, aren’t quite on MARVEL’s level. But that doesn’t mean they can’t be. MARVEL started their universe in 2008. They’ve had 9 years to build and perfect their universe into what it is now. DC released Man of Steel, then did the crossover event with Batman, then releasing Wonder Woman shortly before Justice League hits the cinemas. That’s too fast. They would have had less criticism if they played the long game the same as MARVEL has done. I believe if they followed this plan, they might have been within a chance of building up what they are trying to do now but too quickly. Starting with Man of Steel, then Batman, Wonder Woman, then the Superman Vs Batman crossover event that includes Wonder Woman and The Flash and Cyborg, and all the other teasers. Wonder Woman would have more of an impact if we knew her origin story in that universe before being suddenly introduced to her in Superman Vs Batman. Then, release The Flash, Cyborg, Aquaman, then do the Justice League movies – possibly at least one more Batman movie before, but it works just the same afterwards.

MARVEL’s TV shows have increased in quality considerably over the years. Their Netflix series are immensely entertaining, but it still doesn’t quite excite the nerd in me as much as DC’s Arrowverse.

During my research into the various comic book lore without having to read any of the comics, I discovered two videos, and subsequently a channel that I quickly subscribe to, explaining absolutely everything in both MARVEL and DC.

The Imaginary Axis explained both company’s multiverses, and various other lore. Both videos opened my eyes to just how much both companies have built. Both are well-thought out on so many levels.

I prefer DC’s multiverse to MARVEL’s, purely because DC’s is easier to understand. You could argue that DC’s simplistic nature means it’s not that good, but from another perspective, by keeping it simple, therefore easier to understand, it can bring in more people simply because they can follow exactly what’s going on without feeling too confused. Seeing DC’s lore on this map doesn’t help me with reading any of the comics. They’re still difficult to follow. However, with all the information I’ve gathered from multiple other sources across the internet, I’ve generated a big enough picture that quenches my appetite.

I’m not a MARVEL fanboy, neither am I a DC fanboy. I enjoy both but from different aspects.

Thanks for reading

Antony Hudson

(TonyHadNouns)