Will DC Movies Be a Match for Marvel?

The “DC vs. Marvel” rivalry has always been a big thing in geek culture, but ever since both publishers invested in building massive shared universes in both movies and television, the DC v Marvel schism has grown wider, as more and more mainstream viewers join in the love of DC and/or Marvel superhero entertainment. It’s little surprise then, that the San Diego Comic-Con International has become a literal stage for DC and Marvel to square off, in the form of top-bill panels held inside Hall H of the San Diego convention center – an arena where thousands of fans and media outlets can delight in new reveals and footage the studios have to offer.

Comic-Con 2016 was no different: DC and Marvel both went big, bringing ensembles of big-name actors and directors to the stage, along with some headline-grabbing new footage from some of their high-anticipated upcoming films, like Wonder Woman, Doctor Strange, Suicide Squad, Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 2 and (surprise!) Justice League. All in all, we found out what the Marvel Cinematic Universe will look like in Phase 3, as well as the new direction of the DC Extended Universe, following the harsh criticisms of Man of Steel and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. The question now is: in the inevitable comparison(s) to come, does DC or Marvel currently hold the best hand?

Marvel

Marvel Studios has become successful beyond measure at this point, having launched a massive shared universe that spans both television and movies. President Kevin Feige has taken the full reigns, having moved out from under the control of his former boss, Ike Perlmutter, and the studio has proven itself by successfully launching both risky or obscure properties (Ant-Man, Guardians of the Galaxy), as well as big “event” films that easily reach the billion-dollar box office mark (Avengers: Age of Ultron, Captain America: Civil War). In other words: it’s a good time to be Marvel.

With Phase 3, Marvel Studios is looking to (literally) diversify its portfolio. Black Panther will feature a mostly African-American cast; Captain Marvel will turn Brie Larson into a female superhero star; while Doctor Strange will get all metaphysical (cue the Olivia Newton John song) and launch a Marvel Multiverse. If Marvel is able to succeed in launching these movies and attracting a wider fanbase (and if history is any indication…), then Marvel Cinematic Universe will capture an even bigger piece of the cultural zeitgeist. That’s a crazy thought, given how big it already is. 

DC

DC and Warner Bros. have had a rough time trying to get their shared universe off the ground. While Chris Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy brought DC films acclaim and big box office earnings, its independent continuity arguably cost the studio opportunity to get a proper shared universe established. Even when focus turned to building a proper DCEU, false starts like the Green Lantern 2011 film, hindered progress and confused continuity – and even the “official” DCEU beginning (Man of Steel) divided fans, rather than pulling them in. It was the hope that Batman v Superman would come along and kick-off the DCEU with a big event film – but after that film, too, was pulled apart by the love/hate poles of the Internet, it now falls on Suicide Squad to lure a wider base into the DCEU.

As of Comic-Con 2016, the DCEU has renewed buzz surrounding it, thanks to a fantastic marketing campaign that has positioned Suicide Squad for massive success, and some big early hype for two upcoming films that debuted first-look trailer at SDCC: Wonder Woman and Justice League.

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So the question is: Can DC’s new films hope to beat Marvel? 

We’ll start to get answer to that question this year, after both Suicide Squad and Doctor Strange have both hit theaters. Of course, Suicide Squad has bigger stars and a much bigger buzz surrounding it than Strange does, so the comparison is hardly  fair: the real measure of success will like come in 2017. Marvel will come out with big guns blazing, kicking off summer with Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 2, continuing with the Spider-Man Homecoming reboot, and finishing with a Thor/Hulk team-up in the fall with Thor: Ragnarok. DC will only have two films – Wonder Woman in summer and Justice League in fall – but both already seem like they could end up being billion-dollar winners. 

Guardians is an almost guaranteed billion-dollar earner – but are audiences ready to really invest in a new Spider-Man movie so soon after the last franchise reboot? And can Hulk and Thor – two of Marvel’s lowest earners, check the math – combine to push Thor: Ragnarok to the billion-dollar mark? Depending on the answer to those questions, DC could conceivably come out of 2017 as the clear new favorite. 

How do you see all this playing out? Let us know in the comments or on twitter @comicbook or @ppnkof