Fans of comic books have followed DC Comics and Marvel for decades now, either dedicated to both or loyal to one. They know where one universe stops and the other begins, and they make sure not to mix them up. They know the names of the characters who first graced the covers of each issue and the ones who first got their own separate comic books.
These fans meet at comic cons, buy merchandise, and play the video games of their favorite comic book heroes. But since Marvel transitioned to the big screens through Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and DC with DCEU, the conversation has become lopsided. Marvel has managed to gain the upper hand in this new frontier, leaving DC in the dust.
But why has this happened? What has Marvel done differently to give them an edge? In an online discussion, fans give their opinions on the subject. Here are a few thoughts.
1. Inconsistency
A participant in the discussion opines that one of the major reasons for this setback is that DC movies lack consistency. When viewers see Iron Man, they see Robert Downey Jr. every time.
On the other hand, if they see Batman, they see a lot of different guys. So it’s hard to have connections with these actors. According to the commenter, Marvel has a plan, and they put out movies according to the plan. But DC movies “come out all over the place.”
2. Copy Cats
It seems to a fan on the platform that DCEU has been trying to be MCU without putting in the time and groundwork Marvel put in to get their franchise to that point. Though they made it look like they weren’t following the trails of Marvel, everyone could see what they were doing.
They spent far too much time focusing on Marvel and what they were doing rather than just building their own identity and brand, which would have ultimately been a far stronger competition.
3. Wrong Tone
This commenter says the problem with DC is that they never got their tone right. They were too focused on trying to mimic Marvel.
The commenter says DC needed Joker and Batman to be in tune. And their CGI, too, could have been a lot better. Another commenter responded that the “darker” tone didn’t work well with general audiences. They hired Joss Whedon for Justice League, thinking it would be like The Avengers, but it turned into a disaster.
4. Not-So-Stellar Cast
In this user’s opinion, Ben Affleck and Robert Pattinson weren’t as good a Batman as Christian Bale in the Christopher Nolan-directed The Dark Knight Trilogy. Gadot was fairly good as Wonder Woman, but the patchy writing made it clear she wasn’t a fantastic actress.
The controversies around Ezra Miller, who played Flash, didn’t help matters. Also, there were two Harley Quinns in five years. “The whole thing feels like they’re making it up as they go,” the commenter says.
5. Little Expectations
A salient point one user makes about what made the difference between the two studios is that the audience had more expectations for one than the other. According to them, no one in the general audience cared about the characters of Iron Man, Thor, or Captain America when their films were released.
The main Marvel characters were Spider-Man, the X-Men, and the Hulk. So Marvel could underperform, and no one would care. Meanwhile, DCEU had tried but wasn’t very successful at adapting Batman and Superman. It’s also why the MCU is currently struggling because people now have expectations of them.
6. Rushed Introductions
Another user says that MCU was much better planned than DCEU. The way the characters were introduced in MCU, viewers had the chance to connect with them and see them interact with other characters. It didn’t feel rushed. But the DCEU just seemed messy.
7. Lack of Good Directing
Some other problems the DCEU has may lie in the directorial department. Fans reacting to the topic opined that, unlike Marvel, DCEU didn’t have a Kevin Feige at the helm who controlled what directors could do with characters. In the DCEU, directors did whatever they wanted, and there was no consistency between properties.
Zack Snyder came the closest to maintaining a tone. However, his style wasn’t the best for the franchise. Joss Whedon tried, too, but it didn’t work out.
8. Standalone Stories
Where the MCU told good standalone stories and built a universe, the DCEU just wanted to rush things so that they could make money.
This point is very clear, according to one user, when you look at the movie releases. MCU made , and before doing their first major crossover in . Each movie stood on its own comfortably. DCEU had only made Man of Steel, and the follow-up to that was already a crossover event.
9. Character Likeability
One thing that sets the two studios apart but isn’t really noticed by many is the likeability of the characters, something DCEU hasn’t managed to nail. According to one user, Marvel achieved this with Robert Downey Jr’s Iron Man.
He was incredibly arrogant yet funny, lovable, insecure, and caring. Also, Thor felt more relatable and rounded than Henry Cavill’s Superman, who was quite stiff and rigid. The DCEU needs to work more on their character development.
10. Keeping Things Light-hearted
One participant in the discussion summarized the difference between DCEU and MCU with a simple comment, “Marvel kept things light-hearted. DC forgot that these are people in spandex costumes. It’s okay to be a little silly.”
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This thread inspired this post.
Frugal Rules. (2023-12-22 08:00:01). www.frugalrules.com
