Marvel vs DC: Who Truly Reigns Supreme in Entertainment?
/For many years geeks have been debating each other on who is better Marvel or DC? Friendships have ended, relationships broken, silent treatments given. Message boards, trolls were born on this burning question alone. I finally want to enter the ring and give my two cents on this endless debate. I will be looking at most forms of entertainment from movies, videogames, television, and many more. As always please leave a comment below and be respectful of others opinions.
Videogames: Believe it or not there was a time where Marvel ruled the videogame market with an iron fist. In the 2D era and the middle of the Playstation 2, Gamecube, XBOX era Marvel brought us amazing games. X-Men 1 & 2 for the Sega Genesis, Spider-Man 2 (PS2, Gamecube, Xbox) X-Men Legends 1 & 2 (GIVE US 3 DAMN IT!), Marvel Ultimate Alliance, X-Men The Arcade Game, Spiderman: The Arcade Game, The Avengers: Arcade Game. Even thrown in Marvel vs Capcom but I'm not counting that since it's a crossover. At that time DC gaves us such titles like Batman Forever, Batman & Robin, The Death of Superman, Batman Gotham Racer, Batman Forever: The Arcade Game, Superman Returns. DC did give us hope with Batman: Vengeance. However then came Batman: Dark Tomorrow and after that it would take Rocksteady to bring Batman back to the gaming masses. I'm not even going to mention the horrible Justice League Arcade game (ugh).
You would think I will be giving this win to Marvel right? Sorry Marvel fans that is not the case. Marvel has dropped the ball when it comes to the gaming market. PS2, Gamecube, XBOX era was the last time I've seen a great Marvel game. DC took the gaming ball and made a smart decision by investing in their flagship character Batman. The PS3, XBOX 360, Wii era saw the Batman become the face of superhero gaming. The Arkham series is one, if not the greatest superhero series in gaming. DC didn't just have Arkham. We saw Injustice: Gods Among US which had such a rich story that it spawn a comic book to further it's lore. DC Universe Online is something I still play till this day. Even Green Lantern: Rise of The Manhunters was a decent game, yes it's a watered down God of War but it's still fun to use constructs and play as the Lantern. In the arcades DC has the very fun, challenging Batmobile game which has me wasting quarters. Sure Marvel gave us games but they were lackluster to say the least. Iron Man 1 & 2, Captain America, X-Men Destiny, The Amazing Spider-Man 1 & 2 weren't up to par. Spider-Man Shattered Dimensions and Deadpool are the only games I would recommend that had a great story, wonderful production and solid gameplay. Marvel fans are dying for any Marvel game that's not LEGO's or Disney Infinity. I can't give you the win if you decided to just leave the battle to focus on other areas. DC has stayed consistent in the gaming market. Yes there were a lot of misses and fails but they fought hard and now on top. Thanks to The Batman, Injustice and even DC Universe Online and the impact, the sales and moments alone these games have.
Winner: DC
Animation: This one is going to be a tough one. I'm a huge fan of both Marvel and DC animation shows. I want to start off from where I got started from and that's the Superfriends Era. DC has always had a choke hold in the animation front and they still do till this day. I used to watch Batman, Superman and the Superfriends back when Cartoon Network just showed cartoons from the 60's and 70's. I also used to watch Spider-Man (60's) and Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends. I wasn't a fan of The Incredible Hulk or Fantastic Four cartoons at the time. It just wasn't well done to me. All these cartoons were campy, silly but very fun to watch. But if I had more fun watching the 60's Spider-Man cartoons. The theme is too damn catchy and it actually made me really love the web head. Superfriends was great for it's time but I felt the Wonder Twins had to much of a role on that show. I loved what Spider-Man 60's did and I felt it was fun but could be serious at time and really capture the spirit of Spidey. However everything change in the 90's as both Marvel and DC will bring us unforgettable cartoon shows.
The 90's and early 2000's is truly the greatest time in animation history. We had so many good cartoon shows from Disney, Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network. However that's another article. The superheroes did not falter instead it got stronger. The 90's and 2000 era Marvel gave us unforgettable shows like X-Men TAS, X-Men Evolution, Spider-Man TAS, Spectacular Spider-Man. Iron Man was so, so, The Incredible Hulk was eh. The Ultimate Spider-Man airing now isn't bad, doesn't have the same impact at Spider-Man TAS but still good. The Avengers Assemble is enjoyable. Marvel also enter the anime realm with some cool Marvel anime one offs. Marvel did good with animation. It's just that DC did it better and put Marvel in a choke hold with animation. DC let the flood gates open with animation. They made a smart decision again to make their product mature enough for adults to watch. But still keep it light hearted enough for kids to watch and understand. Batman TAS, Superman TAS, Justice League, Justice League Unlimited, Batman Beyond, Green Lantern, Young Justice all amazing shows. Let's not forget about the amazing animation movies DC has put out. Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, Batman: Under The Red Hood, Wonder Woman, Batman/Superman Public Enemies, Shazam just to name a few. It's not about quantity but the quality of their shows and movies are top notch. A lot of care goes into these works and it takes the core ideals and lore of the comics and put them into wonderfully into animation. Don't get me wrong Marvel animation is great as well. However DC Animation pushes the boundaries and up's the ante each time. I'm curious how the Killing Joke animation is going to translate.
Winner: DC
Movies: While DC has animation in a choke hold. Marvel has had movies in a choke hold for years. I'm not just talking about the MCU. I'm talking about X-Men, Spider-Man movies as well. DC movie wise has not had the same success as Marvel movies. Only time will tell with the DCEU whether they will become a contender. As of right now the only hit movies DC has is Batman, Batman Returns, Batman Forever (did some numbers), Superman 1 and 2, The Watchmen and of course The Dark Knight trilogy and Man of Steel. Marvel has the X-Men Trilogy, Spider-Man trilogy and the entire MCU. Marvel knows how to make movies. They have consistency put out quality films. DC honestly over the years have rely too much on Batman and Superman. While they tried with Green Lantern it didn't live up to expectations. Marvel has successfully introduce a roster of A-list and B-list and soon C-list characters and made them household names. Ant-Man is now a franchise player, Iron-Man is now franchise player. DC has it's work cut out for them to have the same success as Marvel films. While I prefer DC more serious darker tone in their movies. Marvel movies are fun and really are hitting all bases with their product.
Winner: Marvel
Television: Before I begin I'm not going to include streaming services on this. Since it's not consider television programming. In order for this to be eligible you need to be on a channel with a network. I have a section for streaming content after this. Television DC is dominating with quantity and quality. Gotham, The Flash, Arrow and Supergirl are all doing very well. While Constantine was cancel it still was quality show. DC has always killed on the small screen with shows like Smallville. Marvel really hasn't enter the TV realm seriously like now with Agents of Shield. But Marvel is doing something really smart and looking towards the end of the TV era.
Winner: DC
Streaming: As I said above Marvel is looking towards the future which is streaming. This is something DC needs to catch up on. Marvel deal with Netflix is a bold one and one that has proven to be successful. Daredevil was completely fantastic. Now Marvel is lining up more heroes such as Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Iron Fist. Introducing characters that would never get that much time on the big screen is a great way to expand the universe. When TV finally gets replace with streaming Marvel will be ahead of the curve with shows already established. While Arrow, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow are great. Constantine should have shopped around to Hulu or Amazon to be picked up. Marvel is going have streaming content on the choke hold soon.
Winner: Marvel
Comics: This is where the toss up begins. I prefer DC over Marvel. However if I'm going to break it down to decide who I think reign supreme I have to look at certain things. I think Marvel has better heroes. I feel their heroes are more relatable to the human condition. I can connect with Peter Parker trials in High School. There are some who can relate to Iron Man's battle with alcoholism. DC heroes are more mythology than anything and it's pretty hard to relate to God like beings. Marvel villains are humanized with problems we all can relate too. DC heroes are humanized as well but I just think Marvel does there hero story arc's a little bit better. However when it comes villains I feel that DC has Marvel beat. Batman's rogue gallery alone smacks Marvel's villains. Then you add Superman's The Flash, Justice League rogue gallery and you many memorable villains. DC villains always have me on the edge of my seat. Their motives are usually pretty clear, they are not afraid to do anything and just gives a feeling that things might not end well. Marvel has great villains too but I never get the sense of danger like I do DC villains. As far as 2015 goes from a sales point of view with the help of Secret Wars and Star Wars Marvel is ruling the market right now. From a sales number point of view Marvel books have been dominated compare to DC numbers (http://www.comichron.com/monthlycomicssales/2015.html). I'm a DC guy but the point goes to Marvel.
Winner: Marvel
We're at a tie here folks and I know this something you don't want after reading this long article. So I'm going to have you guys cast a vote on which do you think is better with merchandise. This includes clothes, accessories and toys. Next Monday I will update this article and declare the winner.
