The Marvel Cinematic Universe is well into its ninth year, and the franchise doesn’t show any signs of slowing. With heroes like Iron Man and Spider-Man at its call, the MCU promises to bring even bigger stories to cinemas for its tenth anniversary. Still, there is one comic book movie out there which stands as Marvel Studios‘ benchmark of excellence, and it comes from their biggest rival.
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Today, fans were shown a touching moment when Marvel Studios and DC Entertainment came together to honor director Richard Donner. The Academy honored the icon for his acclaimed career, and the comic book studios paid homage to Donner’s beloved take on Superman. It was there Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige revealed just how important Superman: The Movie was – and still is – to the MCU.
“Superman: The Movie is still to this day the archetype of the perfect superhero film origin story and we watch it before we make almost any one of our films,” Feige said. “That’s been the case for the past seventeen years since I left the fold to go work for Marvel.”
Feige’s DC mirror also spoke up about how influential Superman: The Movie has been to the company and its impending film slate. Geoff Johns recalled how Donner stepped in to oversee the heroic film because he wanted to “save Superman.” The feature’s original script left much to be desired, and Donner took up the director’s helm to ensure Clark Kent came out on top. Johns went on to say the director’s film stands as “the greatest superhero movie film still, ever.”
So, there you have it. If you wanted to know what could possibly bridge the rivalry between Marvel and DC, then now you know the answer is Superman.
Recently, the DC Extended Universe paid an overt nod to Superman: The Movie with Wonder Woman. Director Patty Jenkins has said before how much Donner’s project influenced her work on the film, so she paid homage to the film’s iconic alley scene. Wonder Woman almost perfectly recreates the scene where Clark Kent saves Lois Lane from an alleyway mugger, and fans were quick to pick-up on the cherished nod.
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Before she was Wonder Woman, she was Diana, princess of the Amazons, trained to be an unconquerable warrior. Raised on a sheltered island paradise, when an American pilot crashes on their shores and tells of a massive conflict raging in the outside world, Diana leaves her home, convinced she can stop the threat. Fighting alongside man in a war to end all wars, Diana will discover her full powers…and her true destiny.
Joining Gal Gadot in the international cast are Chris Pine, Connie Nielsen, Robin Wright, David Thewlis, Danny Huston, Elena Anaya, Ewen Bremner and Saïd Taghmaoui. Patty Jenkins directs the film from a screenplay by Allan Heinberg and Geoff Johns, story by Zack Snyder and Allan Heinberg, based on characters from DC Entertainment. Wonder Woman was created by William Moulton Marston.
The film is produced by Charles Roven, Zack Snyder, Deborah Snyder and Richard Suckle, with Rebecca Roven, Stephen Jones, Wesley Coller and Geoff Johns serving as executive producers. Warner Bros. Pictures presents, in association with RatPac-Dune Entertainment, an Atlas Entertainment/Cruel and Unusual production, Wonder Woman.
