'Shazam!' Filmmaker Calls DC and Marvel Rivalry "Bullsh*t"

A friendly rivalry can go a long way, especially when it comes to the longtime competition between Marvel and DC Comics. Over the last few decades, the two publishers have dominated the comic book market.

But the fandoms tend to take the competition to another extreme, especially with the premieres of Shazam! and Captain Marvel, and the announcement that The Suicide Squad director James Gunn would be returning to Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. But Shazam! producer Peter Safran isn't a fan of the rivalry.

"I've always believed, that which unites comic book fans, is much greater than that which divides us," Safran explained to Uproxx. "And so the whole Marvel, DC rivalry thing is kind of bullshit. Because really we're all fans of the same thing. I love the fact that he's directed a movie for Marvel and directed a movie for DC. And the Earth is not spinning off its axis. It's ok."

Director David F. Sandberg addressed the rivalry between the two franchises, downplaying the hostility and differences between the two.

"When I was a kid in Sweden, I didn't really know about DC or Marvel. It was just comic books and superheroes," Sandberg said. "One of my favorites was one where they had a team-up between Superman and Spider-Man. To me, that wasn't something strange. I was like, yeah, they're both superheroes. Why not? It wasn't something special."

Those kinds of crossovers have become few and far in between. From the New Teen Titans and Uncanny X-Men crossover, to the Amalgam Universe, to the latest team up of the Avengers and the Justice League of America; each occasion is memorable. Unfortunately, another crossover seems unlikely.

But support across the lines is in full force between the movie divisions, especially with the newest movies. Sandberg and Shazam! star Zachary Levi have supported Brie Larson's Captain Marvel, though that hasn't stopped the fans from acting out any time one of the film's is mentioned on social media.

Hopefully we can all find common ground in the fact that these are all entertaining superheroes and stop trying to argue over which has the better Rotten Tomatoes score or which has the biggest box office take.

Shazam! premieres in theaters on April 5th.