Both Marvel and DC hold the position of the most popular comic-book publishers. When they stepped over to the movies and TV shows, they also attracted an even wider audience, including people who don't read comic books as much or at all. But when two companies dominate an industry one must ask which one is superior at crafting heroes we identify with and stories that engage and rouse audiences?
Marvel and DC have a lot to offer, from fascinating heroes to compelling stories. They have a rich history and continue to intrigue viewers and readers. But there are still things that DC could learn from Marvel, get inspired by.
10 Keeping Its Actors
When one actor plays a certain superhero for a long enough time and does a good enough job, the fans tend to get attached to the particular portrayal of the character. Marvel knows this very well, and as a result, they keep the same actors in the MCU for as long as possible.
Robert Downey jr. kickstarted the MCU as Iron Man in 2008 and he stayed with the universe for 11 years and multiple movies. Within the DC films, numerous different actors have played beloved heroes without much promise of returning to the role and it can lead to audiences getting bored when a new version of said hero is announced again.
9 Movie Crossovers
Even though DC rules when it comes to television crossovers, it doesn't do so well in movies. The Justice League wasn't a hit like many people expected, and ever since then, the DCEU heroes mostly stood on their own.
The MCU, on the other hand, often has characters appear in other superhero movies - be it Iron Man in Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), Nick Fury and Phil Coulson in Captain Marvel (2019), or a whole bunch of Avengers in Captain America: Civil War (2016). As a result, the MCU looks more like a real world where heroes meet on regular basis.
8 Giving Space To Lesser Known Heroes
Who knew the likes of Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes before the MCU came along? With the exception of comic-book readers, the general audience mostly had no idea who these characters were. The same goes for the likes of Iron Man, Hawkeye, and the list goes on.
The MCU took risks when it introduced lesser-known heroes - and it paid off. The DCEU, on the other hand, focuses primarily on well-known characters such as Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman, so the excitement of discovering new heroes isn't as big.
7 Humor Is Always Present
Some fans believed the DCEU was too dark and serious when it first appeared. Then came films such as Shazam! (2019) or Wonder Woman (2017) which brought some moments of levity to the universe. Despite that, the MCU still does a better job of mixing drama, action, emotion, and humor.
Even in darker movies such as Avengers: Infinity War (2018), there are humorous moments that don't feel out of place and lighten the atmosphere without lowering the stakes or demeaning the seriousness of the problem the heroes are facing.
6 Not Making Remakes
DC can not only learn from the things Marvel does right but also from the things they did wrong. Such as making remakes of relatively recent movies. The 2015 Fantastic Four was a giant flop, and nowadays, people like to pretend it never happened.
The DCEU, unfortunately, still didn't get the memo that it's not necessary to introduce the same heroes over and over again - and as a result, a new Batman movie is in the making, even though Ben Affleck barely had the time to put down his cape and the Suicide Squad is coming back for round 1.5. Maybe the DCEU won't make the same mistake as Marvel did, but that remains to be seen at this point.
5 Embracing Diversity
Even though it took the MCU quite some time, it now looks like it's ready to embrace the diversity of the comics and make movies for all types of superhero fans. The DCEU still remains behind and doesn't give much space to heroes of various backgrounds.
It's true that the DCEU had its first female-led solo film in 2017, but the MCU introduced superheroes such as Black Panther and Falcon even before that. And now, it's preparing to give even more space to Falcon and bring forward Kamala Khan aka Ms. Marvel. Not to mention Shang-Chi's upcoming solo film.
4 Connecting The Movies And TV
There's no denying that DC wins when it comes to TV shows - the Arrowverse has multiple shows airing, and it's going strong. But it mostly stands separate from the DCEU, even though the recent crossover Crisis on Infinite Earths confirmed that it's possible to breach between the universes.
The MCU does a better job of including characters from the movies in TV shows. It had Agent Carter as well as Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and nowadays, it's preparing multiple TV shows with popular MCU characters, such as Loki, Wanda and Vision, or Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
3 More Relatable Heroes
DC has several most famous superheroes - Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and Aquaman - but neither of them is very relatable. Superman and Wonder Woman are godlike, Aquaman rules an undersea kingdom, and Batman is a billionaire.
Marvel does a better job of coming up with heroes who are dealing with everyday issues - such as Peter Parker who always has no money, Miles Morales who has problems with his uncle, or Kamala Khan who struggles between being a superhero and following her family's customs.
2 The Familiar Setting
Even though it's not necessary for the stories, it's always a welcome bonus if a story is taking place somewhere the audience knows. The biggest DC superheroes have their fictional cities where they work, live and fight crime, such as Superman's Metropolis, Batman's Gotham, the Flash's Central City, Aquaman's Atlantis, or Wonder Woman's Themyscira.
Spider-Man and other Marvel heroes connected to real cities, though, and it adds a bit of extra enjoyment and realism to the comic books when the heroes are moving through places and streets that actually exist.
1 It Deals With More Relevant Topics
That's not to say that the DC comics don't work with familiar themes that resonate with its readers. But Marvel simply has more iconic stories that address topics that will be once again familiar even to its readers.
A few examples include Tony Stark's struggle with alcoholism, Captain America's struggle to fit in with the modern society, or Peter Parker being bullied by his classmates.